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=========================    Medical Information

Much medical information is of no interest to celiacs, but articles are
a simple way to explain an issue to a medical professional.  These
extracts are handy references to show your physician, in his technical
language, what research has been documented throughout the world.  When
you encounter a similar problem or if you have a physician willing to
learn from a patient, share these articles for the benefit of all
concerned.

1.  Endomysial Antibody testing for children under two years of age may
show unreliable results.  This does not mean that the tests should not
be used, but that there needs to be some caution in how you interpret a
negative test in the younger child. If all tests are negative and there
is still a strong clinical suspicion for celiac disease, a biopsy is
still indicated. (ii)

2.  CMPI (Cow's Milk Protein Intolerance) is a disease that must be
ruled out for those under two years of age when CD is suspected.

3.  Are the changes of mood in children with coeliac disease due to
abnormal serotonin metabolism?

        Children with untreated coeliac disease are characteristically
        unhappy and after a few days of treatment with a gluten-free
        diet their mood improves. This improvement in mood can be
        rapidly reversed by introducing gluten into their diet again
        which suggests that a humoral agent could be involved in this
        process. As serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain and
        abnormalities of serotonin metabolism have been reported in
        coeliac disease, this biogenic amine could be the humoral
        agent that mediates the changes of mood in coeliac disease. In
        this review the relationship between the mood changes in
        coeliac disease and serotonin metabolism will be further
        examined. (iii)

4.  Serococonversion of reticulin autoantibodies predicts coeliac
disease in insulin dependent diabetes mellitus

        Serum IgA class reticulin autoantibody test was performed
        prospectively once a year on 238 children and adolescents with
        insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM).  At the initial
        testing, within one year after onset of IDDM, five were
        positive and 233 were negative.  During follow up a further 11
        of the initially antibody negative children became positive
        (6.7%). Jejunal biopsy was performed at the appearance of the
        autoantibodies and silent coeliac disease was shown in nine
        (3.8%). . . Repeated serological screening and rebiopsy should
        be considered to detect late developing clinically silent
        coeliac disease among patients with IDDM. (iv)

5.  Common Food Intolerance I: Epidemiology of Coeliac Disease is a
collection of European  studies.  The book contains data from 15
countries and 38 centers and proposes the new nomenclature and concept
of silent, latent, and potential CD.  The editor is S Auricchio and J.K.
Visakorpi.  It is available from S. Karger Publishing, PO Box 529,
Farmington, CT 06085 for $161.75.  ISBN 3-8055-5616-0.

6.  Muscosal Immunity and the Gut Epithelium: Interactions in Health and
Disease by Editors: S. Auricchio, A. Ferguson, and R. Troncone presents
the latest advances in immunology with emphasis on lymphoid and
epithelial cells.  It is available from S. Krager for $186.25.  ISBN 3-
8055-6033-X.