Graves disease and gluten intolerance
Common Questions and Answers about Graves disease and gluten intolerance
graves-disease
Graves Disease is an autoimmune disease where the Graves Disease antibodies attack the persons thyroid causing hyperthyroidism (levels of FT3, FT4 too high and TSH too low.
Left untreated it can be very dangerous.
Get your Sister to see an Endocrinologist but in the meantime whilst waiting for an appointment, get her to her local Doctor to start treatment of anti-thyroid medications.
Okay, ya ready? You have 3 possibilities here:
- celiac disease
- non-celiac gluten intolerance
- wheat allergy.
It gets complicated because many studies and scholarly texts use "celiac disease" and "gluten intolerance" interchangably...they're not the same thing.
Celiac is an autoimmune disease. Once you have one autoimmune (Hashi's), you're more prone to developing another (celiac). So, yes, there is a connection.
Celiac can be tested for...
I've been reading on a thyroid group on Facebook that Graves' often goes along with gluten intolerance. I have a lot of digestive issues (not sure if I have Graves' but I am borderline hyperthyroid and have most symptoms) so I'm going to try going gluten-free for a couple weeks to see if I feel better.
Link between AITD and gluten intolerance.... (Autoimmune Thyroid Disease) for clarity.
"Screening for gluten intolerance" - That is the tricky part. The Celiac blood test will not screen for gluten "intolerance" or sensitivity. Holistic Drs do this only by elimination diet from what I've heard. Then upon certain food group introductions is this more clarified. Do they do this differently in Auzzie land?
ANSWER to the possible link ?
Well since you get bloating and flatulence, more pronounced after a morning ceral of oat and wheat, there is a huge chance that you have gluten intolerance or celiac disease or Non Celiac gluten sensitivity. There are blood tests called celiac test to detect gluten intolerance. You should ideally consult a gastroenterologist (a specialist who looks after the diseases of our digestive system).
You can stop the cereals and see if this helps.
I have graves disease, but was in remission. Then I had cancer and chemotherapy. My TSH level is hyper again and my other tests normal. The doctors won't say if chemo can activate your graves disease. They do say that a physical or emotional change to my body can trigger it. My thoughts, Cancer and chemotherapy are big time physical and emotional changes.
I've just been diagnosed with Graves' Disease. I have autoimmune thyroid disease that has changed from being primary Hashimoto's thyroiditis to Graves's Disease. I was diagnosed in 1997 with Fibromyalgia. I also have severe osteoarthritis, especially in both hands. What am I doing wrong? The doctor told me I'm a very strange case. What's that mean?
Also, if someone has been diagnosed with wheat and/or gluten intolerance, should they take the fructose intolerance breath test just to be sure? Do all hospital labs offer the test? How can someone be tested if their doctor will not order the breath test? Thanks
p.s. What type of doctor would order this test? Would it be an allergist or gastro physician?
An allergist can do an easy skin test to determine food allergy. Let them know your symptoms and make sure they include wheat and gluten in the test. I suffered with stomach problems for years. On a visit to my allergist (treated for seasonal hayfever) I mentioned my symptoms, they tested my for food allergies and 10 min later I found out I am allergic to eggs. Once I changed my diet, my stomach went back to normal.
©2010 American Academy of Neurology
“Gluten sensitivity is a systemic autoimmune (allergic) disease triggered by the ingestion of gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. Neurologic dysfunction can be the presenting feature even in the absence of an enteropathy (gastrointestinal disease and symptoms) .
Gluten is a complex protein present in four main grains---wheat, rye, barley and oats. If you have gluten intolerance, then you probably have celiac disease or Non Celiac gluten sensitivity. There are blood tests called celiac test to detect gluten intolerance.
Hope this helps. It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
Gradually I read on the internet by many people that the link was established between Dercums disease and a gluten intolerance and also a relationship between stress and Dercums. Stress causes adrenaline which on the long term creates cortisol which acts into the already weaker and irritated lipomas and fatty tissues.
Dercums appears to be an autoimmune disease, and the statement that a gluten-free diet for this may work to me seemed very plausible.
The gluten issue is further complicated because there is both celiac disease (autoimmune gluten intolerance) and and non-celiac gluten intolerance. With celiac disease, antibodies attack tissue in the gut making it progressively hard to absorb nutrients. Your doctor probably did an antibody test for celiac, However, the blood test is not conclusive, only a small intesting biopsy is conclusive.
Do a search of tyramine intolerance, and when you see a link with an address to WHfoods, go to that one. Gluten intolerance is a part of tyramine intolerance. Tyramine intolerance is associated with migraines, but it is also associated with IBS--regardless of which way your IBS tends to lean.
Also, some natural medicine circles believe that IBS could possibly be undiagnosed or a less sensitive form of Celiac.
If you think there may be a connection betwen your thyroid condition and gluten it cannot hurt to remove gluten and see how you feel. Perhaps consider lab tests like Bertamay has had done to determine food sensitivities.
There are plenty of people that have food sensitivities who are not diagnosed with auto-immune thyroid disease.
I read many comments on this blog that I find curious, but I take from it what seems to fit my situation. I've learned a great deal here.
Celiac disease (gluten intolerance) seems to have a mess of symptoms. My sister inlaw has this. According to the Canadian Celic Association:
Common symptoms are anemia, chronic diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, cramps and bloating, irritability.
Although some or all of these symptoms occur in celiac disease, some can also occur in many other diseases more common than celiac disease.
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Basically, the Endocrinologist told me my results mean I have both Graves Disease and Hashimotos. She is sending me for a uptake/scan and ultrasound of my Thyroid in a month and then I follow up with her in a month and a half. In the meantime I am trying to research these autoimmune disorders and feel overwhelmed. I am confused that I have BOTH, and that I feel lethargic and am experiencing weight gain with a TSH level of 0.00.
In our case we both have a food intolerance/food allergy to gluten and if we consume it we become what we call, "glutenized". In our case this means we become overly fatigued and foggy brained until the allergic reaction in our gut subsides. More people have food allergies like this than one would think. We never ever thought we had this and even argued against the blood test with our doc because we thought it was a waste of money.
Gluten is a complex protein present in four main grains---wheat, rye, barley and oats. If you have gluten intolerance, then you probably have celiac disease or Non Celiac gluten sensitivity. There are blood tests called celiac test to detect gluten intolerance. Crohn’s disease is a difficult entity to diagnose. Along with gut symptoms skin disorders and arthritis too are commonly seen with Crohn’s. An upper GI series using barium dye is done to see the condition of small intestines.
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