<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Dear Fellow List Members,
 
I posed a question about the possible connection between celiac and asthma
and received some very informative and helpful answers. Since some were
posted privately, I am excerpting for the benefit of others on the list
who may be interested. To all who responded, a big THANK YOU!
 
Chris in NJ:
I, too, have a son with celiac and asthma.  I feel in my gut that they are
separate problems, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have a genetic link.
I was reading in the New York Times today about a recent discovery of a
genetic flaw causing a somewhat rare syndrome.  They discovered that if many
pieces of the genetic code are deleted from a particular place, all symptoms
of the syndrome are seen.  If the smallest deletion occurs, only one (not
very serious) symptom is seen.  Perhaps there are other clusters, and celiac
is part of one of them.  Perhaps it also includes asthma in some people.  Who
knows?
 
"Marvin E. Pollard, Jr." <[log in to unmask]>:
The connection?  Both asthma and celiac sprue are immune system response
disorders and both are genetically inherited.  I am sure that an expert
in genetic biomarkers can tell us both that the markers for each of
these diseases are in very close proximity in an afflicted person's DNA.
 
The human immune system is very complex and prone to dis-regulation as
one ages.  My working hypothesis is that adult-on-set of celiac sprue is
probably due to increasing dis-regulation of the immuno-response system
as a co-ocurrence of the aging process.
 
Other immune-response system disorders that frequently occur in persons
celiac sprue include Lupus and diabetes.
 
Chris in Cleveland:
Cystic Fibrosis is another disease that also manifests with
malabsorption.  CD and CF kids often resemble each other in their
physical characteristics of malabsorption.  Of course, CF also includes
the respiratory component. Just to ease my mind, I had my CD daughter
tested for CF at the same time she was diagnosed with CD.  The test is
easy and non-invasive.  It consisted of prepping an area of skin on her
arm, putting a piece of gauze on it, and in an hour, removing the gauze
and sending it to the lab for analysis.  This is called a sweat test.  I
just had my other daughter tested, too, as she is very thin and pale,
and has asthma.  Thankfully, both were negative.
 
Lynda:
What I have read about asthma and allergies is that boys tend to
have symptoms earlier in life and they often deminish with age.  Women on
the other hand tend to get symptoms later in life and we have to manage
them.
   Asthma can be triggered by excercise, smog, pollens, sinus infection, cold
air (weather changes), dander, dust and dust mites and a host of other
things.
   As a child care professional I have also seen the effects of second hand
smoke on the asthmatic child.  It amazes, saddens, and angers me, to see how
many children's asthma symptoms are seriously affected by their smoking
parents.  In split family situations the evidence is abundantly clear.  The
child spends time at the smoking partner's house, and then comes back to the
nonsmokers home on anitbiotics and asthma meds.  The child gets well and
feels good only to be return to the smoker's home and the cycle repeats
itself.  The poor child who's parents both smoke _never_ gets well.
 
Maureen:
While my daughter (17 months) does not have CD she is allergic to wheat,
oats, rye, and barley so follows a GF diet and she does have asthma.  There
is a direct link between her allergies and her asthma although these foods do
not trigger her asthma.
 
Dean from San Diego:
It's my opinion that in some cases of CD showing symptoms of chronic
diarrhea- that possibly early stages of dehydration may take place which may
impact the liquid quality of mucous in the lungs.  The less water, the more
sticky and thick the mucous is, and thus would be more difficult for the
lungs to clear normally.  This if true, could lead to mucous plugs forming in
the lungs which could be extremely dangerous.  This is only my opinion as a
father of a son with CD.
 
Diane from MN:
I took my son off milk recently and it has helped.
 
Thank you all again and good health to all.
 
Sharon Marcus