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Just got my first copy of DD Notes from the National Digestive Diseases
Information Clearinghouse...there's a rather disappointing story of a
dtudy done at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by a Dr Dan
Drossman, M.D.

Dr Drossman's study was on the relationship between functional
gastrointestinal disease, a history of abuse, and health status.  I am
disappointed because this is how "functional" GI disorder is defined:
Irritable bowel syndrome, dyspepsia, and functional abdominal pain.

Ironically, his results were published in the April, 1996 issue of
GASTROENTEROLOGY, and I'm pretty sure that's the same edition in which Dr.
Fasano's initial findings were summarized.

It's regretable that Dr. Drossman wasn't "up" on the incidence of celiac
disease when the study was done.

Here's a paragraph from the article:

Fro the study, Dr. Drossman's research team surveyed 239 female patients
attending the UNC Gastroenterology Clinics between February 1992 and April
1994 to investigate the relationship between functional gastrointestinal
disease, abuse history and health status.  Functional gastrointestinal
disease...affects more women than men.  Women are also victims of physical
and sexual abuse more frequently.  ... Dr. Drosman's research does not
indicate a causal relationship between abuse and functional
gastrointestinal disease.  The study provides a conceptual model
describing the relationaship between gastrointestinal symptoms and abuse
history.  In this model, abuse can be associated with ineffective coping
strategies that lead to increased health care use and greater physical and
psychosocial disability.  (In earlier studies, Dr. Drossman found that
abused individuals used the health care system more often and had a higher
rate of psychiatric diagnoses than people who were not abused.)

' "Victims of physical and sexual abuse often feel helpless and lacking in
control," said Dr. Drossman.  "When faced with the painful symptoms of
irritalbe bowel syndrome, dyspepsia or functional abdominal pain, for
example, these feelings my reappear."  The result is a vicious cycle in
which feelings of helplessness produce greater anxiety, which in turn
increases symptoms and reaffirms the patient's sense of poor control.

End quote.

I was going to comment....suffice to say Gayle K & I speculated on abuse
and celiac disease many months ago.  Let's say I'm hoping that Dr.
Drossman will start factoring in celiac disease in his future studies.
Let's hope also that we move beyond pinpointing fellings of anxiety and
lack of control and start giving these women a name for their disorder and
some control over the disorder.

Your government $$s at work, folks.

If I hear of any updates, I'll pass them on.

Bec
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Erie, PA