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Dear Listmates:

On request of one of our members, I am summarizing the talk given by Dr.
Yamamoto at our support group meeting here in Reno, Nevada, today, October
16, 1999.

Dr. Yamamoto is a gastroenterologist.  Dr. Yamamoto spoke about:

1.  There is research being conducted to identify the gene(s) for celiac and
that reliable testing should be available, he thinks, in about five years
and might cost in the range of 200-300 dollars for the individual test.

2.  It's very difficult to diagnose because of celiac's many presentations,
but doctors are becoming more aware as time goes on.

3.  The average time it takes to get a diagnosis in children is 6 months; in
adults, 8 years.

4.  He believes the prevalence is higher in Europe than in the United
States, even when confronted with the newest studies that suggest otherwise.
He thinks his office would see more people with chronic diarrhea (I didn't
even pursue it at that point, sorry).

    He then answered questions, mostly relating to a new member's
daughter, who was diagnosed at 18 months after being sick with vomiting and
diarrhea for three months.  This woman also has a newborn and doesn't want
him to go through the same thing and wondered about keeping him off gluten
entirely or, when he reaches the age of 1, to go ahead and feed him gluten
(or "challenge" him, in the doctor's words).  BTW, this woman does NOT have
celiac, only her daughter does so far.  The doctor advised her to go ahead
and "challenge" him, as he didn't see a lot of siblings with celiac, only
parent-child celiacs.  But he qualified it by saying he didn't really see a
whole lot of celiacs, either (boosts your confidence, eh?).  This woman's
daughter still has loose stools, but the doctor said to only be concerned if
she was not growing properly, and she was growing just fine, so not to
worry.

    He then answered a question I had, which was if a person is not a
celiac, stops eating gluten for a month or longer, then ingests some gluten,
would they react in any way?  He said no, they would not react; only a
celiac would react.

    He also spoke about the need of having a colonoscopy: once every ten
years after the age of 50 and if one has colon cancer in their history
coming from a first-degree relative, to start having them at age 40 and then
every ten years thereafter.  It might have been every five years for the
latter.  Sorry!  But testing for that just because one is a celiac is not
necessary unless cancer is in their history.

    That was pretty much it.   Have a great weekend!

Cecilia Vohl
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