<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hello, ListMates,

In today's New York Times, there is a long (front page) article on President John F. Kennedy's health problems.  While some of the information was already known, much of it had never been made public until now.  President Kennedy's health problems were much more severe than previously reported, and he was in far more pain than the public was aware of.

As I read the article, I could not help wondering whether he might have had undiagnosed Celiac Disease.  His chronic back pain was known while he was President, and his Addison's Disease was revealed after his assassination in 1963, but a number of other health problems were not known to the public until today, including severe GI problems (for which he was hospitalized in the late 1950's) and, it seems, osteoporosis.  Addison's Disease is one of the auto-immune diseases related to Celiac Disease.  His GI illness was appartently called "colitis" and later thought to be Irritable Bowel Syndrome.  (Does this sound familiar...?)

Here is a link to the NY Times article.  http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/17/politics/17JFK.html .

Please note, this is PURE SPECULATION on my part; I am NOT saying that President Kennedy had Celiac Disease.  I would have no way of knowing that, and I am not a medical professional.  It does seem possible, however, based on what I read in the article.  Or am I over-interpreting?  It is also very possible that the combination of medications he took could have caused some of the problems.  Any thoughts?

Best to all from cold, rainy, windy, dreary Boston, MA,
Pat Shechter

* Send administrative questions to [log in to unmask] *