Re: Re: Child - CD?

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/18/08 9:44:04 AM, connie@... writes:

I think that celiac (with the biopsied gut lesions) is just one endpoint of gluten intolerance and that the whole list of reactions to gluten can be classified as gluten intolerance. 

I think it is incredibly harmful to lump celiac in with general gluten intolerance. Celiac disease is not an "endpoint" of intolerance -- being intolerant or sensitive to gluten will never lead to celiac disease (though of course intolerance can be a symptom of cd). Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease -- gluten provokes a reaction in the body that cannot be compared to any reaction intolerance might provoke -- and cd has a host of serious problems not associated with "intolerance." Perhaps the diet is the same (though it seems that for many who don't actually have the disease, they can afford to be less careful about trace gluten and probably are able to eat foods processed in plants where there is wheat, etc...), but having an upset stomach or other acute reaction cannot and should not be compared to the serious effects of celiac disease, including dangerous vitamin deficiencies and an increased risk of intestinal cancer.

In terms of whether to get a diagnosis or not, there are studies that show people stick to the diet much better if they have a medical diagnosis and that really seems to uphold common sense. In my own experience, I know a lot of people who are intolerant of gluten, yet break the diet when it suits them. And for a child, I think if you are going to put them on a gf diet for the rest of their lives, it behooves a parent to make sure the child truly has cd. Intolerances, allergies, and sensitivities can come and go, but cd is forever.

Tristan

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