<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> On November 7, 1996 and January 17, 1997 I posted (and they are archived) my experiences with peripheral neuropathy, pernicious anemia, low B-12 and misdiagnoses of both Crohn's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis all prior to a diagnosis of Celiac Disease. I'd like to the record for the list-serve archive another development. In January 1998, in the course of an abdominal ultrasound, the radiologist noticed an unusual amount of calcified plaque in the aorta. I was referred to a cardiologist who discovered that my Homocysteine level was 85 (on a scale where "normal" is, I believe 8 - 12). For the past couple of years, I have been receiving monthly B-12 shots following a diagnosis of pernicious anemia not long after achieving a gf diet, at which time I was experiencing heart palpitations, irregular heart beats and, in fact, thought I would have a heart attack. So, the cardiologist was, I think it is fair to say, surprised and baffled at the extremely high Homocysteine level given the B-12 injections over time. He added large doses of oral folates and B-6 and my level has now come down to 14 - - still high but much better. He suggested my immediate family have their Homocysteine levels checked which they did and all were within normal ranges. Why might this information be important to Celiacs? A posting to the list on August 31, 1995 noted that Homocysteine problems can lead to an increase in arterial plaque which can lead to stroke or heart attack. There is a growing amount of information, including some which is available on the web, about the role of Homocysteine in heart disease and I recently found an article which identifies Celiacs as being at risk of deficiencies of either Folate or B-12 and therefore potentially at risk for Homocysteine problems. This article is at http://familymedicine.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa072197.htm My physicians are now stating that it is likely that damage tothe bowel over time leading to malabsorption and/or a Celiac diet not rich enough in B vitamins and folates may be the contributing factors. Deborah