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Blood Drug Tied to Celiac Symptoms
Friday, June 22, 2012 12:20 PM
Olmesartan, a drug prescribed to control blood pressure, can cause severe
gastrointestinal issues, say Mayo Clinic researchers. The symptoms, which
include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and electrolyte
abnormalities, are common among those who have celiac disease. 
Mayo Clinic physicians treated 22 patients with symptoms similar to celiac
disease, including intestinal inflammation and abnormalities from 2008 to
2011. Patients came from 17 states, and some had been diagnosed with celiac
disease. They had chronic diarrhea and weight loss; the median weight loss
was 39 pounds, and one patient lost 125 pounds. Fourteen of the 22 were
hospitalized because of the severity of their symptoms. When given a blood
test, however, these patients didn't come back with results typical of
celiac disease. They also didn't respond to treatments such as gluten-free
diets.
After examining their medications, Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist Joseph
Murray, M.D., pulled several of the patients off Olmesartan. Their symptoms
dramatically improved. Eventually, all 22 were taken off the drug, and all
showed improvement. Eighteen of the 22 patients had intestinal biopsies
after stopping the medication and showed improvement. 
"We thought these cases were celiac disease initially because their biopsies
showed features very like celiac disease, such as inflammation," says Dr.
Murray, the lead author. "What made them different was they didn't have the
antibodies in their blood that are typical for celiac disease."
Olmesartan - prescribed for the treatment of hypertension, or high blood
pressure - works by blocking substances that tighten blood vessels, allowing
blood to flow more smoothly and the heart to pump more efficiently,
according to the U.S. National Library on Medicine.
"It's really an awareness issue. We want doctors to be aware of this issue,
so if they see a patient who is having this type of syndrome - they think
about medications as a possible association," Dr. Murray says. "We've
reported an association. What needs to be known next is the science to
understand why there is such an association."

Read more: Blood Drug Tied to Celiac Symptoms
<http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/health_stories/blood_pressure_celiac/2012/06/2
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