I have a general interest in science, medicine, and the human body. When I really stepped up to take care of my father when he was very sick with Refractory Celiac Sprue, I did a ton of research and reading on Celiac Disease and anything gluten related. I continued reading after I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease as well (The Celiac Sprue Association has a lot of great material). Many people with Celiac Disease suffer from other illnesses, and the links and patterns that have been discovered between the two are very intriguing to me.

Besides other food allergies, many people with Celiac DIsease or gluten sensitivities are lactose intolerant. The enzyme needed to aid in digestion (lactase) is produced in the villi in the small intestine. People with Celiac Disease have obvious problems with the GI tract, so I can see how lactose intolerance fits in here. This is one test that I have not had done yet, but apparently it is simple, so it's now on my to-do list.

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease, which in basic terms means that the body attacks itself. There have been studies that show that patients with Celiac Disease have other autoimmune diseases as well. Type I diabetes (insulin dependent/juvenile) is another autoimmune disease that is associated with Celiac Disease. My father had this also. Furthermore, there is a connection between Celiac Disease and thyroid diseases among a few others. Why is this? Genetic predisposition. (Thanks, Dad.)

Another issue that arises in many people with Celiac Disease is osteoporosis. As soon as I was diagnosed, my GI doctor had me go to a radiologist to have a bone density test. No one was actually worried that I had osteoporosis at 29 years old, but I had to have it done as a baseline for the future. There are others however-even children-that have low bone density and need to be scanned and treated early on. I'll have to have a scan every few years to check my density levels. In the meantime, I make sure I eat foods that contain calcium and vitamin D and even take additional vitamins and supplements.

Like I said, this all intrigues me and it's great to know that research is still ongoing. This is only a tid-bit of information that is out there on this subject. It's so unbelievable how different things are now (in regards to what is known about gluten, Celiac Disease, etc.) than even 10 years ago. I wish my family and I were as educated as we are now, and there's still more to learn and read about.