<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Hi all, Thank you everyone for the responses to my question about how carpel tunnel and bruising relate to celiac disease. Summary: For the bruising you can look at vitamin K deficiency and ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura) on my page at: <http://www.gflinks.com/hoggan>http://www.GFlinks.com/hoggan/ And here is an abstract you don't want to miss: Curr Opin Rheumatol 1997 Jan;9(1):56-61 Rheumatic features of gastrointestinal tract, hepatic, and pancreatic diseases. Ramos-Remus C, Bahlas S, Vaca-Morales O Department of Rheumatology, Hospital de Epecialidades del Centro Medico, Nacional de Occidente, Guadalajara, Mexico. Rheumatic manifestations of diseases primarily of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, or pancreas are frequent and vary from soft tissue rheumatism and carpal tunnel syndrome to Raynaud's phenomenon, osteoporosis, arthritis, and vasculitis. Some patients with celiac disease develop osteoporosis and arthritis responsive to a gluten-free diet. It seems that osteoporosis is a frequent feature in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, and steroid use is an important risk factor. The use of steroids in patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis has generated medicolegal questions. This year a wealth of information has been published regarding hepatitis C virus infection. Arthritis, myopathy, and antibody production are some of the reported manifestations of chronic hepatitis C virus infection. There is evidence that may link chronic hepatitis C virus infection with the antiphospholipid syndrome. Also, since endomysium antibodies have been shown to cross react with parathyroid tissues (Kumar V, et al. Celiac disease and hypoparathyroidism: cross-reaction of endomysial antibodies with parathyroid tissue. Clin Diagn Ron has also has** listed a number of articles exploring abnormal parathyroid function in relation to carpal tunnel syndrome which I have available upon request. ******************** Before I was diagnosed with CD and DH, I had numbness in both hands. I was told to see a specialist. After several nerve tests at the hospital, I was told that I had corporal tunnel problems in both hands and needed to have an operation on each hand. I had one hand operated on and it did not help. After I started on a strict gluten free diet, both hands started to get better. After 7 years, they are still are not 100% as before, but greatly improved. ******************** My carpal tunnel was taken care of by taking 500mg B6 at night. In the meantime, she should get a good wrist brace from a hospital store and wear it all day, including at night. If she works at a computer, she needs a wrist support for the keyboard. I use an ergonamic keyboard that I bought at Staples ******************** Debby Lewis: I distribute non-invasive, non-medical products that have given people with that problem a great deal of relief. These products are manufactured by one of the leading companies in Japan and these products are in 1 out of 3 households in Japan, so you know they are effective. Please contact me and I will be happy to tell you all about them. These are proven, effective, safe alternatives that have truly changed peoples lives and improved their quality of life. I'm not sure how advertising works in a summary, so if anyone wishes Debby's number, I have it. ********************* I had seen a reference (unrelated to celiac) to folic acid being helpful for carpal tunnel-though not in the . Bruising can be a vitamin K problem. Don't add except w/ dr. supervison as too much will cause clots. Celiac can cause vitamin/mineral deficiencies. Blood lab work might be necessary. ******************** Here are a couple of clips that have appeared recently about celiacs & non- typical presentation. Hope it helps...Also the National institiute of health has a paper at: <http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/digest/pubs/celiac/index.htm> Following on the recent thread on the topic of being overweight and having undiagnosed celiac disease, the BMJ just published a *very* interesting article reporting that of 50 newly diagnosed celiac patients, 11 were underweight, 22 were within the normal range, and 17 were overweight. That would appear to challenge the conventional perspective on underweight celiacs. The whole article is quite interesting and can be found at: <http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/317/7168/1290> In the recent BMJ there is a report that celiac disease is far more common than generally thought: Coeliac disease in primary care: case finding study Harold Hin, Graham Bird, Peter Fisher, Nick Mahy, and Derek Jewell BMJ 1999; 318: 164-167. Here is the full text (with button to print out a PDF version): <http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/318/7177/164> ******************** I don't mean to be persistent, I don't mean to scare you with my story but to be aware of what to look for. Here is my personal experience with bruising easily: I went to the family doctor and constantly complained about bruising, it kept on saying that it was related to the celiac disease that we all know about. Since I work in the hospital one day I had the opportunity of asking the doctor on call. I explained to him that I was diagnosed with celiac and assumed that the bruising was associated to that. He explained to me never to assume anything, had my blood work done right on the spot and was send to the lab. The blood results came back as extremely anemic. Here as some of the symptoms when one is anemic: Pallor skin; naibeds of the fingers; mucous membranes; weakness; vertigo; headaches; sore tongue; drowsiness' general malaise; dyspnea; tachycardia; palpitation gastrointestinal disturbances; amenorrhea; loss of libido. I had only one of these symptoms: The gastrointestinal disturbances. Please take the time to ask your doctor to check your blood work; in my book is better to be safe than sorry. ******************** I think I have referred you to Melaleuca's home page before, but just in case I haven't the address is <http://www.melaleuca/> . They have a product called ProVex, and different variations of it, that I have heard several people used to treat their carpal tunnel syndrome with very good results. Some who were facing surgery tried it and avoided the surgery. Because it strengthens the blood vessels, it also prevents bruising. ******************** I'm not sure if there is a link between carpel tunnel and celiac. But for a year and a half I thought I had carpel tunnel. Then I started getting what I thought were very painful, rosy bruises all over my legs. I went to the doctor when the bruise-like bumps I had one leg began appearing on the other leg. The doctor, a general practitioner, thought they were infections caused by shaving my legs and started to prescribe an antibiotic. I laughed at him, so he sent me to a dermatologist. The dermatologist recognized the bruises as erythema nodosum. He ordered a chest x-ray which came back abnormal. It ends up I didn't have carpel tunnel and those weren't bruises on my legs. If you haven't guessed from my email address, I have sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis is a multi-symptom auto-immune system that can strike just about anywhere in the body. 90% of us have some sort of lung involvement. That's why the abnormal chest xray. Erythema nodosum is what it is called when it affects the skin. The "carpel tunnel" was also a manifestation of the sarcoidosis. While I couldn't get them to check me for celiac, I find that I feel much better on a gluten-free, milk-free diet. I don't have the joint pain including the "carpel tunnel" or the respiratory symptoms or coughing or difficulty breathing usually associated with sarcoidosis when I stick to my diet. Has your friend had a recent chest xray? Has your friend seen a dermatologist about the bruising? If you or your friend have more questions, feel free to write to me. I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. ******************** Thank you all for your help. All the best, Susan