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

Refractory Sprue, or Refractory Celiac Disease is the worst case scenario
when the damage has gone so far that the patient does not respond to the
gluten free diet at all. Of course this is after all other gastroenterology
problems have been ruled out, and after the patient has also been tested
first for lactose or casein problems (the most common reason), other
sensitivities, and even a problem with beef protein. When all else fails
the study does say they have had good luck with the "elemental diet" but
some cannot stop the progression into lymphoma and death. If you want to
know more about this, along with the reasons for not cheating on your diet,
you will be interested in this major study, reported on Medscape by two of
our best celiac docs. -vance

MANAGEMENT OF REFRACTORY CELIAC DISEASE Karoly Horvath, MD, PhD, and
Alessio Fasano, MD, discuss the clinical relevance of the poorly
understood syndrome known as refractory sprue.  Medscape
Gastroenterology 3(6), 2001 http://gastroenterology.medscape.com/45793.
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