<<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