<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Two recent articles of interest have come out. I am skeptical of the usefulness of the study of allergy prevalence in adult celiacs which relies on questionaires and the patients ability to recognize symptoms that might be the result of allergic sensitivities to various foods. The study only considers individuals who reported in questionnaires they experienced allergy symptoms . In my own case, it took me months after going gluten-free to finally associate various symptoms of fatigue, general malaise, and alterations of bowel movements with various newly acquired food sensitivities. Very large doses of vitamin C, as an antihistamine, gave me temporary relief from bowel conditions and confirmed that my discomfort was the result of allergic responses that released histamine. Some foods began to cause irritated throat, throat clearing, and sniffles with 20 minutes after consumption. Identifying and eliminating problem foods helped, temporarily. The problem worsened as I become sensitive to more and more foods. It wasn't until I began to take digestive enzymes and betaine HCl to treat low stomach acid that I was able to control and significantly reduce or eliminate most of the food sensitivities. Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria), intestinal permeability (leaky gut), and alterations in the mix of intestinal flora all appear to be common in celiac disease. These conditions can all result in the acquisition of food allergies. Postings on this Celiac List, seem to confirm that food allergies are a very common problem among celiacs. People need to be educated and able to carefully observe and corollate their various symptoms and discomforts to allergic responses to foods. I don't believe a study of this type that selects its subjects on the basis of a questionnaire is very useful. A gluten-free diet alone, obviously did not reduce my allergic symptoms. So the article's conclusion that a one year gluten-free diet "did not change allergy prevalence" is probably valid. The article, however, fails to address the above-mentioned conditions as a cause of allergy in celiacs. The second article serves as a warning to those who may be experiencing neurological symptoms, to make sure they are absorbing sufficient amounts of vitamin E. ---------- J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004 Jun;113(6):1199-1203 Allergy prevalence in adult celiac disease. Ciacci C, Cavallaro R, Iovino P, Sabbatini F, Palumbo A, Amoruso D, Tortora R, Mazzacca G. Gastrointestinal Unit, Federico II University of Naples Italy. BACKGROUND: Celiac disease is considered to arise from an inappropriate T- cell-mediated immune response against ingested gluten in genetically predisposed people, whereas the T(H)2-type lymphocytes are mostly involved in IgE-mediated reactions. The matter of possible coexistence of T(H)1- and T(H)2-type diseases is still debated. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to evaluate the allergy prevalence in a large series of adults with untreated celiac disease and their families at the moment of diagnosis. We also evaluated whether 1 year of gluten-free diet had any effect on allergy prevalence in our cohort. METHODS: At the moment of celiac disease diagnosis a standardized questionnaire was administered for detailed information on presence and type of any allergy symptoms in 1044 adult patients with celiac disease, 2752 relatives, and 318 spouses. Those reporting any allergy underwent tests with dosage of serum levels of total IgE and search for serum specific IgE with a standard makeup of 20 antigens and PRICK tests in selected individuals. At follow-up visit patients with celiac disease were administered the same allergy questionnaire. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-three patients with celiac disease (16.6%), 523 relative (19%), and 43 spouses (13.5%) had at least 1 allergy (P=not significant). Atopic dermatitis was more frequent in patients with celiac disease (3.8%) and their relatives (2.3%) than in spouses (1.3%). The presence of allergy in general and atopic dermatitis was not affected by presence of overt malabsorption or duration of undiagnosed disease. Follow- up data showed no change in allergy prevalence in the cohort examined. CONCLUSION: Allergy prevalence in a large series of patients with celiac disease is not different from that of their relatives and spouses. However, atopic dermatitis was about 3 times more frequent in patients with celiac disease and 2 times more frequent in their relatives than in spouses. One year of gluten-free diet did not change allergy prevalence in the celiac group under investigation. PMID: 15208605 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] ---------- Clin Immunol. 2004 Jul;112(1):24-29. Vitamin E deficiency induced neurological disease in common variable immunodeficiency: two cases and a review of the literature of vitamin E deficiency. Aslam A, Misbah SA, Talbot K, Chapel H. Department of Immunology, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals, John Radcliffe Campus, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK. Vitamin E deficiency causes a neurological disorder characterised by sensory loss, ataxia and retinitis pigmentosa due to free radical mediated neuronal damage. Symptomatic vitamin E deficiency has been reported in genetic defects of the vitamin E transport protein and in malabsorption complicating cholestasis, abetalipoproteinaemia, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis and small bowel resection. There are no reports to date of vitamin E deficiency in patients with primary immunodeficiencies. We describe two CVID patients with the associated enteropathy who developed neurological disease because of vitamin E deficiency, suggesting a possible predisposition to developing this complication. We recommend that all CVID patients with evidence of an enteropathy be screened for vitamin E deficiency, as early detection and consequent treatment may prevent, halt or reverse the neurological sequelae. PMID: 15207778 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] * * * *Please provide references to back up claims of a product being GF or not GF*