<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Yesterday, susan @ VVIC.ORG (susan carmack) said:
 
>I have a friend who has diabetes and two of his children-ages 11 and
>8 have also been diagnosed and are all taking insulin. I have
>suggested they be tested for Celiac
>Disease but he doesn't think it necessary. Do I have a legitimate concern or
>should I leave them alone?
 
I recall that something on the order of 10% of type 1 diabetics have Celiac.
The problem is that it is often in "latent" or "silent" form, with no overt
symptoms.  The only way to know is to have a serology test (see yesterday's
long post from me).
 
For example, in a recently published (March 15, 1996) article -- Annals of
Internal Medicine, Vol 124 Number 6 pages 564-567, entitled "Gluten Sensitive
Enteropathy in Patients with Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus", a group of
47 diabetes patients were selected and given celiac blood tests. Three of the
47 -- i.e. 6% - were positive, and all three also had positive biopsies.  The
article goes on to state that two of the three newly discovered symptoms had
absolutely no diarrhea or other so-called typical celiac symptoms.  The third
had only minor symptoms.
 
Bill Elkus
Los Angeles