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

Cindy:  An upper endoscopy is a logical next step.  This will tell you
whether there is tissue damage in the intestine.  Chronic constipation
can be a sign of Celiac disease.  Chronic constipation can also in and
of itself be a cause of chronic abdominal pain.  In the pediatric group
chronic constipation also causes children to not want to defecate (due
to the pain of passing a hard stool), so there are two problems in this
case that need to be addressed.  I find that Magnesium oxide is a very
well tolerated laxative in children.  For a 7 year old a half tablet
once or twice a day with meals would be a good starting dosage.  Side
effect is loose stool.  If the child has developed reluctance to
defecate (and with a kid who asks for a gluten free diet you have a kid
sophisticated enough he will tell you if it hurts when asked) the
laxative should be used and the dose increased to get the stool soft
and stay soft to loose for a week or two.  Once the child is going
without reluctance the dose can be decreased to allow a soft but not
loose stool.  That will deal with the constipation.

The positive antibody needs endoscopic followup.

Stephen Holland, M.D.


On Saturday, September 13, 2003, at 07:04  PM, cindy wrote:

> Date:    Fri, 12 Sep 2003 23:02:57 -0500
> From:    Cindy Sippin <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: antibody testing ?
>
> <<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your
> situation.>>
>
> My 5 y/o daughter has been gf for almost 2 years and thriving. Her
> diagnosis was not an easy one to make, so as a part of it she had the
> genetic testing to confirm her diagnosis. She possess the DQ2 marker,
> as do
> one of her brothers and both myself and my husband.
>
> About a month ago my 7 y/o son began complaining of abdominal pain,
> especially after eating. He would skip meals telling me that he didn't
> want
> to get a stomachache. He even asked me to prepare him gf meals to see
> if he
> would feel better. He has been constipated since infancy and continues
> to
> have this problem. After some coaxing I got my pediatrician to request
> his
> antibodies be tested again. His tTg is negative, his IgG is 32 - strong
> positive and his IgA is negative. When my daughter was tested
> originally
> her results were almost identical, her IgG was 27 - weak positive.
> Unlike
> my daughter who suffered from chronic diarrhea and had stopped
> growing, my
> son is above the 95th% in both height and weight.
>
> Does anyone else have a confirmed Celiac in their family with similar
> symptoms as my son? I will have to wait until next week to speak with
> our
> Ped. GI.
>
> Fondly,
> Cindy
> NY

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