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Question: Is there any research to suggest that gluten intolerance is the early stage of CD or is part of some type of spectrum of CD? In other words, if my daughter is gluten intolerant today, could she develop Celiac later in life?

Summary: I received a variety of responses, some with contradictory information. This was the most complete reply, but I will also send some of the others in later summaries to show the range of responses. Thank you.
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I think it is kind of depends how gluten sensitivity is diagnosed/viewed.  If it was identified with elevated IgA antibodies which are made in mucous membranes, then the answer is yes...Children Hospital in Milwaukee started doing celiac screening on kids with Type 1 diabetes over a decade ago.  Doctors found that pretty much all of those who had elevated antibodies for gluten (celiac antibody tests) but NO GI damage at biopsy would develop GI damage within two years IF they continued to eat gluten. As a result, those with elevated antibodies today are put on GI diet to prevent damage.

True gluten allergies can be dx with IgE skin tests.  Those that test negative on IgA celiac tests could have elevated  IgG (systemic) antibodies to gluten depending on age. Immature & possibly elderly immune systems don't make adequate IgA to register on test.  If elevated IgG is accompanied by GI damage, it's celiac in those with low IgA.  If Total IgA is normal, elevated IgG could indicate non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

(Identifying GI damage can be difficult since very slight increases in intraepithelial lymphocytes--purple spots on biopsy slides, may not be caught or viewed as an abnormality if celiac isn't suspected.  My granddaughter was dx at 20 months with slightly too many purple stop on the biopsy side even though her villi was perfect. Dx might have been missed if not for a 2 generation family history to suggest celiac. Even with such minimal damage, she dropped had failed to agained back the pound she lost during a GI virus 5 months earlier/failure to thrive... A test for IgA antibodies was negative--not unexpected at her age, but no tests for IgG antibodies were done...Unfortunate, since any elevated antibody test could have been used to monitor dietary compliance.)

www.enterolab.com<http://www.enterolab.com> can identifying antibodies to gluten before they are systemic, varying degress of GI damage but no serum antibodies. The lab does differenciate between the genes associated w/ celiac & one for gluten sensitivity.

In March 2011, University of Maryland researchers published finding that identified gluten intolerance as having a different immune system mechanism than celiac and had a different genetic make up (although the celiac genes are far from specific since they affect nearly 40% of the population).  This was the first time the celiac community really addressed non-celiac gluten sensitivity and researchers hope to tests can be developed to dx it. GIG has an info sheet on GS & Celiac, but again it's a clinical dx with only negative tests to suggest it.

Someone sent me this article recently which I found interest since it has a link to the U/Maryland research...
http://www.glutenfreesociety.org/gluten-free-society-blog/the-many-heads-of-gluten-sensitivity/

This is also an interesting site www.glutenreactivity.net<http://www.glutenreactivity.net> that has been around for a while.

The U/Maryland research adds credibility to non-celiac gluten sensitivity, making it emerging field of study just as celiac was 10-12 years ago in the US. (They had done a study many years ago that found the labs tests on autistic kids being helped by GF/CF diets wasn't consistent with celiac...)  Hopefully, the information & technology developed doing the celiac research will make speed up that on other forms of gluten sensitivity.



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