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Celiac Disease - FAQ
From Parents/Families
What causes celiac disease?
Although the exact cause is unknown, you are more likely to manifest celiac disease if you have a family member with celiac disease or with another autoimmune disease, such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and some kinds of thyroid disease. You are more likely to have celiac disease if you are of Northern European ancestry. To manifest celiac disease, one must have the genetic predisposition, be exposed to gluten, and then be exposed to a poorly understood environmental trigger. Celiac disease (MedLinePlus)Is there any problem with putting my child on a gluten-free diet before a biopsy has proven that they have celiac disease?
There are several reasons not to put a child on a gluten-free diet without medical confirmation that he/she has celiac disease. Perhaps most importantly, a biopsy may be falsely negative if performed when the child is not being exposed to gluten. The gluten-free diet is very restrictive and can be difficult and expensive. Without careful nutritional guidance, children on the diet may not receive all the nutrients they need, particularly some vitamins and other elements that are essential for growth. Some children on the gluten-free diet will become obese if their growth is not closely monitored. Your physician(s) and a nutritionist should be involved in starting and overseeing the diet.Does the gluten-free diet treat autism?
There is no evidence that the gluten-free diet helps children with autism. See [Millward: 2008].Authors
| Authors: | Daniel Jackson M.D., 7/2008 Lynne M Kerr MD, PhD, 7/2008 |
| Content Last Updated: | 3/2009 |
Page Bibliography
Millward C, Ferriter M, Calver S, Connell-Jones G.
Gluten- and casein-free diets for autistic spectrum disorder.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev.
2008;(2):CD003498.
PubMed abstract