<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hello, when I was young, it was found that wheat
caused my inner ears to fill with fluid causing
hearing loss.  After being wheat free and eating
nutrient rich foods, my hearing came back all the way.
I am 27 now and have been gluten-free for 7 months
due to big health problems.  I am much better now, but
I can still feel the fluid in my inner ears.  I know
my inner ears are getting better though because I can
feel the fluid draining.
*****************************
I am sorry your child is having problems but suggest that you give
little credence to any responses you get to your post.

Over the years, I have seen many posts of the nature:

I have celiac disease and I also have (fill in the blank). Does anyone
else have the same and are they related? These are ALWAYS followed by a
summary, based on anecdotes, that there is a relationship.

Celiacs are no more (with some well known exceptions) or less
susceptible to all of the other ailments that non-celiacs are. So, if
you were to ask "I have celiac disease and (fill in the blank)", you
will certainly find people with the same combination of conditions.
Concluding a relationship based on these anecdotes is not valid.

The  proper question is "Is (fill in the blank) more prevalent among
celiacs than for the general population?". Unfortunately, that cannot be
answered by posting to an email list but requires controlled statistical
sampling of large populations.

Are there deaf celiacs? Of course. Is deafness more common? I don't know
if anyone knows.

Good luck.
***********************************
Boy, I never gave this a thought.  I have a sister, brother, nephew, and
great niece that wear hearing aids, two other brothers with hearing loss.
PLEASE let me know what you find out.
********************************

I have bilateral profound sensori-neural hearing loss since I was 8 months
old, resultant of high fever associated with influenza.  That was in 1936
before Penicillin and other antibiotics became available.  CD was diagnosed
in 1996.  I have no idea whether hearing loss could be associated with CD.
I've wondered about auto-immune hearing loss as Celiac is an auto-immune
disorder.  I doubt that in my case CD is related to my hearing loss.  I
would be very interested in your summary!!

******************************
Your post greatly interested me.  I was diagnosed with celiac almost 4 years
ago at the age of 31.  I most likely had it for a good 12 years prior to
diagnosis.  I almost lost my life before being diagnosed.During my junior
year in college, I woke up on July 3, 1988, totally deaf in my left ear.  I
was hospitalized for a week with many test being run and steriods given.  I
did regain a very small amount of my hearing back while hospitalized, but
nothing more since that time.  The drs. gave me no reasons for the hearing
loss (they really didn't know), and diagnosed it as sensory neuro deafness.
Sounds very similar to your 4 year old!I do recall celiac symptoms
approximately 3 years prior to loosing my hearing.  When I was hosptialzed 4
years ago and finally diagnosed with celiac, the Drs. said the hearing loss
may or may not be related.  I never looked into it any further.  I'd be very
curious to hear some of the responses you receive to this inquiry.  I believe
that many more studies have been done even since my diagnosis only 4 years
ago.
***************************
I just read your post (I'm behind on my e-mails) and
thought I'd write. I'm 51 and was just diagnosed with
celiac last March. Looking back now, my docs are
pretty certain that I've been gluten intolerant since
early childhood and that it became full-blown CD
following gallbladder surgery in 1999.

The reason I'm writing is, I was going to ask the list
the same question you asked; I was recently found to
have sensorineural hearing loss. Now, I certainly
don't want to alarm you, but this information might be
helpful...

When I was 17, I developed kidney disease - chronic
hematuria. I've had no symptoms nor have I required
any type of treatment; however, last December, my
urologist said that he had read several articles
recently that indicate kidney disease like I have is
frequently seen in celiac patients, especially
females. When my docs were trying to find the cause of
the hematuria years ago, the nephrologist kept asking
me if I was experiencing hearing loss. There is a
specific kidney disease linked to hearing loss (sorry,
but I don't have my medical files here and I haven't
had time to do a search for the name of the kidney
disease he was trying to rule out).

Perhaps none of this is related, but perhaps it is. I
guess I'm telling you this so that you'll have a heads
up on possible kidney involvement in your
granddaughter's condition. I'm just one person out of
thousands, but I'm celiac, I'm losing my hearing more
dramatically than would be expected for someone my age
and there is a kidney disease associated with celiac
that may also involve hearing loss.

I wish you and your granddaughter the very best! If
you learn something from the list on the hearing loss,
would you mind doing a summary? I'd like to know what
others think about this, too.
****************************
My apologies for referring to your "granddaughter"
instead of your daughter in my e-mail yesterday - I'm
so behind on my e-mails and get in a hurry.

The disease listed on the web site: www.celiac.com
that can occur with celiac disease and involves
hearing loss is IgA nephropathy (or Berger's Disease).
I've been trying to find information on the web, but
haven't come up with much.

Again, I'm sorry for misreading your post. Hope this
information is of some help.
****************************************
I don't know of any studies or research regarding this issue.  However, I
have gone on a GF diet and feel I am probably CD.  My mother had many
illnesses which I suspect were from undiagnosed CD (she has passed away).
Interestingly, I have two sisters who are deaf!  Neither one of them has felt
the need to find out their own CD status.  I am in the process of getting an
appointment with a GI doc.

I am very interested in reading the summary to the responses you get
regarding this.

* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *