Could some people diagnosed with fibromyalgia actually be suffering from celiac disease? The National Fybromyalgia Association seems to think so. The May-August issue of its magazine Fibromyalgia Aware includes an overview of celiac disease written by Elaine Monarch of the Celiac Disease Foundation.
Available on PDF, the article--"Are You the One?"--cites nationally recognized research to establish how nearly 3 million Americans are estimated to have undiagnosed celiac disease, then states
A study by one nationwide celiac disease support group* indicated that among adults ultimately diagnosed with celiac disease, 9 percent were orginally diagnosed with fibromyalgia and 30 percent with IBS. Since many patients with CD have muscle aches, joint pains, GI symptoms, and fatigue, it is understandable that those people might get a label of fibromyalgia.People diagnosed with celiac disease typically experience greatly improved health when excluding wheat, barley, and rye from their diets. Diagnostic testing for celiac disease should, however, take place while one is still eating those foods.
In addition to the tender points exam, the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is based on a number of symptoms that can be due to other conditions--celiac disease among them. This is further evidence that different so-called "silent" symptoms need to be taken seriously by physicians and thoroughly evaluated before a diagnosis of fibromyalgia (or IBS) is given.
* Cited in Dr. Peter Green's book Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic.
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4 comments:
I've read much medical evidence that shows that we need to destinguish between these two disorders. In our quest to raise awareness for fibromyalgia we do run the risk of misdiagnosing other illnesses with similar pathologies. Celiac is often refered to as the great imposter where fibromyalgia is concerned.
Richard L. Usher
Editor
FMS Global News
The point of this post was to draw attention to the possibility that some people who think they have fibromyalgia might actually have misdiagnosed celiac disease.
The prognosis for people with celiac disease is good: Treatment consists of following a medical diet that enables the body to heal.
Celiac disease can (and should) be diagnosed using a conventional medical protocol that involves a set of blood tests (drawn while the patient is still consuming gluten) possibly followed by an intestinal biopsy.
I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and due to a doctor's recommendation did a challenging experiment: I went 3 months gluten-free. I felt much better and lost 20 pounds. (Was not completely pain free but much better than I had been.)
I have now been eating "regular meals -- including gluten for three weeks, and I feel terrible (body aches, energy, stomach, etc.).
From this 3.5 month experiment, I KNOW that I need to be gluten-free, but it's quite a life change. I am trying to build up the courage and strength to face a life without sandwiches, hamburgers, cookies, cakes and all the stuff that we normally eat at gatherings. Yes, we can make gluten-free baked goods, but they are NOT readily available at restaurants, fast-food, friend's houses, work, parties, and so on, and they don't taste good (at least I haven't found a gluten-free bread that I think tastes good).
So . . . wish me luck. For those of you with fibromyalgia, it's definitely worth an experiment. Much better than taking medicines. It is difficult but the gluten-free diet definitely helped me feel much better.
Can you explain the common causes of celiac disease? it would be so help full!
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