A
surge in celiac disease cases among babies and toddlers in
Sweden does not seem related to childhood vaccinations, a new
study finds. The study appeared in the Journal of the
American Academy of Pediatrics last
month.
Particular
gene variants may make people susceptible to celiac disease.
But researchers are still studying the environmental factors
that influence whether certain people develop the disorder,
while others do not.
Between
1984 and 1996, Sweden saw an "epidemic" of celiac disease
among children younger than two - a sudden four-fold increase
in the normal rate of the disorder. Overall, celiac disease is
thought to affect about one percent of the
population.
The
Swedish epidemic ended just as abruptly. And since then,
researchers have been trying to figure out why. In theory,
infant vaccines could play a role in celiac disease. Since
they stimulate the immune system, it's possible that in
certain children, vaccines could trigger an abnormal response
to gluten. But that's just a theory. And the new study,
reported in the journal Pediatrics, doesn't bear it
out.
Researchers
found that changes in Sweden's national vaccine program did
not correlate with the timing of the celiac disease epidemic.
In fact, the introduction of pertussis vaccination (against whooping cough)
corresponded to a decline in celiac.
"This was
a nice study, a very careful study," said Dr. Joseph A.
Murray, who directs the celiac disease program at the Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and was not involved in the
research.
"It goes
a long way toward showing that vaccinations do not explain the
celiac epidemic in Sweden," Murray told Reuters
Health.
So what
does explain it?
Based on
past studies, changes in infant nutrition may partly account
for it, said Dr. Anna Myleus, who led the study. Understanding
what caused Sweden's spike in early celiac disease - and the
drop-off a decade later - could help with celiac prevention in
general, Myleus told Reuters Health in an email.
The
findings are based on information from Sweden's national
register on childhood celiac cases. The researchers also
compared 392 babies with celiac disease against 623
celiac-free babies the same age, living in the same area of
Sweden.
Source:
Amy Norton. Reuters Health
2012-06-26T19:13:20
Are
Migraines More Likely if You Have Celiac Disease?
If you
have celiac disease or irritable bowel disease,
and also suffers from migraines, you might be part of a
growing group of people who suffer migraine headaches along
with their celiac disease or irritable bowel
condition.
A recent
study found that people who are sensitive to gluten have
higher rates of migraine headaches. The study was presented at
the annual meeting of the American Academy of
Neurology, held in April. A research team led by
Alexandra Dimitrova, M.D., from the Columbia University
Medical Center in New York City, conducted a survey of 502
individuals. The survey group included 188 people with celiac
disease, 111 with IBD, 25 with gluten sensitivity, and 178
controls.
The
results indicated that 30 percent of people with celiac
disease, 56 percent of those with gluten sensitivity, 23
percent of those with IBD, and 14 percent of control patients
reported chronic headache.
"Our
findings suggest that migraine is a common neurologic
manifestation in celiac disease, GS, and IBD," the authors
write. "Future interventional studies should screen migraine
patients for celiac disease, particularly those with
treatment-resistant headaches."
Source:
http://www.doctorslounge.com/index.php/news/pb/28608
and Celiac.com
-Beth Hillson Weekly Newsletter, July 4, 2012
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