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

HI,

Paul's post about hair color reminded me of a question I've had.

My husband is blue eyed albino with all the other presenting characteristics.  He also is very very symptomatic of gluten intolerance.  (See paragaraph below).  We have heard that albinos have a higher incidence of infertility and also digestive problems.  His hair is of course, white.

Is anyone else out there albino, and what do you know of a possible connection between albinoism, (which includes hair color of course), and gluten intolerance or any other condition that this could be besides gluten intolerance?  He went through the usual gastro tests years ago, and came home with nothing helpful.

Here are his symptoms, and test results.


My husband is very very symptomatic of gluten intolerance.  He has had a positive tTG and later a negative celiac screen including another tTG.  Both screens were from good labs.  He did test low positive, but still positive, on the enterolab screen.  He began developing symptoms in college.  He has had mouth blisters, sores on his arms and legs for 9 years, chronic severe constipation and severe gastro problems, very distended abdomen, severe headaches, abnormal debilitating fatigue for 30 years, wasted buttocks and wasted pads on his feet, and personality traits that resemble very mild autism or Asbergers.  He has an aunt with dx celiac, and autism, dementia, seizures, birth defects, infertility, T 1 diabetes, and oral cancer on that side of the family, and many many cases of irritable bowel on the other side of the family.  Three family members have died or are dying young of pancreatic, colon, and adrenal cancer.  He also carries the DQ 2 and DQ 8 genes.  Among our kids we have T
 1 diabetes, severe diet proven gluten intolerance with chronic constipation, alopecia areata, burning diarrhea upon introduction to wheat at age one, or severe chronic constipation, and debilitatingly severe ADD/ADHD.  (I also have ADHD, and carry the DQ 2 gene.)

My husband won't go for an endoscopy.  He isn't connected to reality enough to see the point, or the help it would be figuring this out for the family, but maybe in fact whatever he has wouldn't show up in the villi anyway.  Our 22 year old severely intolerant daughter who had been off major glutens for 8 years, tried a dangerous and scarey 6 week gluten challenge, from which she has not yet psychologically recovered, and the endoscopy and blood work came up negative.  But she can't touch wheat/gluten, and her dr recommended in the face of her severe reaction to it that she continue to remove it to the point that the symptoms disappear.  So we know wheat/gluten intolerance is in the family.  So it seems like this is surely his problem.  He doesn't like to eat wheat pasta.

Our home is now gluten free, but my husband is still not complying when he is out and about, which I guess is not a surprise especially when there is no formal dx.  So it will be hard to even evaluate whether all the work I am going to at home is helping him.

Does anybody have any perspective, particularly regarding the albinoism?

Thanks in advance.  I will summarize.
Olive


Mrs. Olive Kaiser
Gluten Free Tools
www.geocities.com/glutenfreetools
[log in to unmask]
877-456-7704
8778886033 fax

Disclaimer --- I am a volunteer and not a medical expert, but I can
share with you information that I have found helpful.  Please contact
a well informed medical professional for medical advice regarding your situation.
Please verify the gluten free status of products often for your own protection.

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List*