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

This is a quote from Wahnschaffe et al, 2001.  Celiac Disease-like
Abnormalities in a Subgroup of Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome,
Gastroenterology 121: 1329-1338.

Study group:  "IBS patients suffering from diarrhea (n=102), and patients
with active cd (n=10), treated cd (n=26), and latent cd (n=5) were included
in the study."

Objective:  "To identify a possible subgroup of IBS patients with
latent/potential cd, surrogate markers of cd were investigated in IBS
patients."

Results: "Most cd patients expressed HLA-DQ2 and had increased intestinal
cd-associated antibodies, whereas cd-associated serum (blood) IgA and IEL
(intraepithelial lymphocytes) counts were increased in active cd in contrast
to treated or latent cd.  In IBS patients, 35% were HLA-DQ2-positive, 23%
had increased IEL counts, and 0% and 30% had increased cd-associated
antibodies in serum and duodenal aspirate, respectively.  Furthermore, stool
frequency and intestinal IgA decreased significantly under a gluten-free
diet in the subgroups of HLA-DQ-positive and intestinal antibody-positive
IBS patients when compared with IBS patients without these markers."

Conclusions: "HLA-DQ2 expression and increased intestinal cd-associated
antibodies are markers that can identify latent/potential cd in a subgroup
of IBS patients who consequently appear to profit from a gluten-free diet."

I was mislabeled as an IBS patient and had negative blood tests which
prompted my doctor, who is Chief of Gastroenterology, to gluten challenge
me.  As others have, I suffered devastating effects to my health from
malabsorption and the gluten challenges.  I also had been twice considered
to have IBS over four years by two Gastroenterologists until I approached my
3rd Gastroenterologist with the belief that I was suffering malabsorption
due to celiac disease.  We also need other diagnostic methods available to
difficult diagnoses like mine.
Laura Yick









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