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Senior Member (jccglutenfree)
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,581
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Senior Member (jccglutenfree)
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,581
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Hi Garney,
B12 deficiency and gluten sensitivity/celiac disease are two other things that can cause lesions on the brain, and the symptoms can be very similiar to MS as wel (as can Lyme Disease)l. Both B12 deficiency and gluten sensitivity can cause seizures. If you are early in the diagnostic phase, I hope you ask your doctor to test for these things if he hasn't already. If you are interested in learning more about these possibilities you can check out The Gluten File linked below....the pages regarding the Neurological Manifestations (of gluten sensitivity), B12 deficiency and symptoms, Epilepsy, and MS.
Here are a few abstracts I've gathered across time that may be of interest.
Hope this helps!
Quote:
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and vitamin B12 deficiency share common inflammatory and neurodegenerative pathophysiological characteristics. Due to similarities in the clinical presentations and MRI findings, the differential diagnosis between vitamin B12 deficiency and MS may be difficult. Additionally, low or decreased levels of vitamin B12 have been demonstrated in MS patients. Moreover, recent studies suggest that vitamin B12, in addition to its known role as a co-factor in myelin formation, has important immunomodulatory and neurotrophic effects. These observations raise the questions of possible causal relationship between the two disorders, and suggest further studies of the need to close monitoring of vitamin B12 levels as well as the potential requirement for supplementation of vitamin B12 alone or in combination with the immunotherapies for MS patients.
Vitamin B12, demyelination, remyelination and repair in multiple sclerosis. PMID: 15896807 May 2005
Multiple changes in antibodies against various antigens are found in multiple sclerosis (MS). Results - Highly significant increases compared with controls were found for IgA and IgG antibodies against gliadin and gluten. IgA antibodies against casein were significantly increased. Anti-endomycium and anti-transglutaminase antibodies were negative.
IgA antibodies against gliadin and gluten in multiple sclerosis. PMID: 15355487 Oct 2004
Two atypical patients with a multiple sclerosis (MS)-like illness and evidence of occult celiac disease (CD) were managed by the authors. This prompted screening of a further 49 unselected MS cases for serologic evidence of CD. IgA anti-endomysial antibody was found in one case (2%). IgG anti-gliadin antibody was found in 12% of patients and 13% of blood donors.
Multiple sclerosis and occult gluten sensitivity. PMID: 15210909 Jun 2004
Unfortunately the rate of misdiagnosis remains around 5%-10%, indicating that 1 in 20 patients thought to have MS has, instead, a condition resembling MS. Conditions often confused with MS may be inflammatory (systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogren's syndrome, vasculitis, sarcoidosis, Behcet's disease), infectious (Lyme disease, syphilis, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, HTLV-1 infection, herpes zoster), genetic (lysosomal disorders, adrenoleukodystrophy, mitochondrial disorders, CADASIL), metabolic (vitamin B12 deficiency), neoplastic (CNS lymphoma) and spinal (degenerative and vascular malformations) diseases.
The differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis: classification and clinical features of relapsing and progressive neurological syndromes. PMID: 11794488
Neurological manifestations of gastrointestinal disorders are described, with particular reference to those resembling multiple sclerosis (MS) on clinical or MRI grounds. Patients with celiac disease can present cerebellar ataxia, progressive myoclonic ataxia, myelopathy, or cerebral, brainstem and peripheral nerve involvement. Antigliadin antibodies can be found in subjects with neurological dysfunction of unknown cause, particularly in sporadic cerebellar ataxia ("gluten ataxia").
Neurological manifestations of gastrointestinal disorders, with particular reference to the differential diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Ghezzi A, Zaffaroni M. 11794474
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