Schizophrenia Linked to Variety of Autoimmune Disorders March 2006

We have a Health Food Store near us owned by a really beautiful woman probably about my age (mid 40s? maybe 50?) Anyhow, she has a 23 year old schizophrenic son and that is the reason she got into the Health Food business. It breaks my heart to talk to her because she is so desperate to help her son. She says he doesn't digest food well at all and never has. She has found a doctor in DC that she thinks will be able to help because she is exhausted and too scared to treat him herself. (Especially with supplements etc). She wishes she had changed his diet much earlier.

Grace

Reportedly about 10% of the those with schizophrenia respond to a gluten free diet. About 30% have pyroluria (b6/zinc deficiency). It seems worth exploring if there is any possibity that something so simple could help. Sort of like the gluten/seizure and gluten/ataxia connections.

Cara

Do you have specific articles that you would direct her to? I will print them out and bring them in to her. I know that she did say his body has no zinc.

Grace

I don't have any specific articles, but there are some links in TGF on the Schizophrenia page. The Nutritional Healing site is one of my favorites, and it does have book recommendations. The Alternative Medicine site has a little more to offer in links to online articles. Both of the links are at the top of the page.

Cara

I am new to this forum, I noticed this post is old, but thought I would try to reply and get a response. Your user defines you as Gluten Free. My diagnosis last summer was Auto Immune Hepatitis, but after research it appears looking at my past medical issues that it is highly likely that I have Celiacs Disease. I have been tested for all kinds of things throughout my life and after reading about it, I'm sure that is what I have. My question to you is, how did you get started on the GFD, and what resources do you suggest. My doctors would tell me I'm crazy if I brought such an issue to them, but I will be changing doctors in early summer. Any help or advice you could give would be highly appreciative. Thanks, KSLady.

Autoimmune liver disease is also associated with celiac disease, which you may already know. I think you should reconsider celiac testing, remembering the testing is not perfect, but might be worth doing in case you could get any 'easy' diagnosis. However, even if your blood testing falls short.... a gluten free diet is still worth trying.

However, don't start making dietary changes until after the blood testing is done because it is essential to be consuming gluten for accurate testing.

A gluten free diet requires eliminating all forms of gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye. There are many processed foods that are gluten free, but the simplest way to start a gluten free diet is by sticking to a diet of whole foods consisting of minimally processed meats, fruits, vegetables, rice, potatoes, nuts, eggs. Then, you can slowly back in other processed foods that are deemed safe. Here is an overview article which covers allowed and not allowed foods, at a very basic level:
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddise...liac/index.htm

Here are some of the safe food lists available, that get into much more detail.

Safe Food Lists
Celiac.com Safe & Forbidden Food Lists
GF Products- Mainstream- Wheaton Gluten Free Support Group
Delphi Celiac Forum Safe Product List
Delphi Celiac Forum Cross Contamination Checklist
GF/CF DIET


There are also many good books that can be purchased. You can search amazon.com for other titles, but two are:

Wheat Free Worry Free by Danna Korn
Gluten Free for Dummies

Here are a few mores studies on liver disease associated with celiac disease:

Liver disease

The results of this study showed a high prevalence of CD in patients with AIH. For this reason, early serological screening testing for CD is strongly recommended for all AIH patients
High prevalence of celiac disease in autoimmune hepatitis detected by anti-tissue tranglutaminase autoantibodies. PMID: 15645466

The possible presence of celiac disease should be investigated in patients with severe liver disease. Dietary treatment may prevent progression to hepatic failure, even in cases in which liver transplantation is considered.
Celiac disease in patients with severe liver disease: gluten-free diet may reverse hepatic failure. PMID: 11910339

Autoimmune hepatitis, cryoglobulinaemia and untreated coeliac disease: a case report. PMID: 12655265

Celiac disease-associated autoimmune cholangitis. PMID: 12492211

Elevated transaminases were the most frequently reported abnormality. A gluten-free diet produced resolution of elevated transaminases in 115 of 130 patients. ...Mildly abnormal liver biochemistry is frequent in untreated coeliac disease and may provide a key to the diagnosis. Routine investigations for undiagnosed liver disease should include tissue transglutaminase testing. Left untreated, coeliac-induced hepatitis may rarely progress to end-stage liver disease. Primary biliary cirrhosis is clearly linked to coeliac disease.
Systematic review: the liver in coeliac disease. PMID: 15740533 Mar 2005


Hope this helps~

Cara

Thanks for replying, and I am most greatful for the articles. I can take this to my GI and go from there. As for not starting GFD, that is a tough decision since I had immediate relief of my symptoms upon removing those items from my diet. Even as of last night I ate something I shouldn't have and felt some of the old symptoms, but not at an unbearable degree. My symptoms were bad enough with my liver that I spent most of my evenings with a heating pad and a prayer. So, trying to convince my GI who told me that I can eat anything, that CD might be the answer to my problem seams like it will be a daunting task. Furthermore, my practitioner feels the same way as my GI. I have the type of insurance whereas I can not change doctors until a specified time, and that time isn't until June. So, going GF and having relief without stress sounds giddy to me. Any response would be well received. Thanks again...........KSLady

Nobody needs a doctor's prescription or permission to make dietary changes. We actually proceeded with a gluten free diet for our daughter on very limited information. She did have a positive antigliadin antibody (one of the weaker markers), and we opted to skip the biopsy and let the diet speak to us. It did. I chose to go gluten free, too, despite negative blood tests, and enjoyed many improvements. You can read "my story" on the first page of The Gluten File. No turning back for us!

A positive response to the diet may be the best test of all.

It is just important to know that once you have gone gluten free, the window of opportunity sort of closes for official testing...unless you put yourself through a gluten challenge later. Most people don't want to do that...especially if they are feeling better. Course... if the diet works... that is enough for many of us .

There are a couple of other do it yourself testing options. One is Enterolab, which does stool testing. This testing cannot diagnosis celiac disease, but determines gluten sensitivity. IMO, if you have noticed an improvement with dietary changes already, this test would probably not tell you anything you don't already know.

There are some places that you can order the anti-tTg test, though. This is the test highly specific to the intestinal villi damage required for an official diagnosis of celiac disease. A positive on this test has about a 95% positive predictive rate that they would find damage on a biopsy, the cornerstone of a celiac disease diagnosis. Some doctors will accept a positive on this blood test as diagnostic, although the a positive biopsy is required for a standard of care - 'gold standard' diagnosis.

If you have any curiousity at all whether you actually have celiac disease, it might be worthwhile doing this anti-tTG test. I think there are a few labs now that offer it. One is: http://www.optimumhealthresource.com/cdscan.html
Celiac Disease is genetically based, so if you do have it, other family members (symptomatic or not) should also be tested for it.

I absolutely agree you should be gluten free.... no matter what any of these other diagnostic tests might tell you. I just wanted to let you know some of the options out there.

Cara

Thank you for all of the valuable information you have provided. Since I have already started on GF and have actually had energy for the first time in I don't know how long, I can't see going backwards. At this point I am only on a prescription to suppress my immune system (thats not good), if I can keep things under control, I think I can convince the GI to take me off the meds to see what will happen. I am going to post on the Autoimmune site and see if anyone else has been diagnosed with the same problem.

As for symptoms, I have never been able to drink beer, it goes straight to my urinary tract and I end up with a UTI. They have done all kinds of tests over the years and tried to put me on a nasty medicine which I refused to take. I just don't drink beer (barley).

I have been tested for thyroid disease numerous times throughout my life due to major fatigue, never any conclusions as to why I have always been fatigued.

I have (had) ulcers on my foot that was diagnosed as fungus, but never went away until I went GF.

I have had horrible rashes that the doctors figured must be a chemical sensitivity to soaps, but looking back the raised welts (raised sometimes an inch off of the skin) were yellow (jaundice).

Throughout my life I have had multiple problems with my intestines and even after a scope they never figured it out and told me I must have a spastic colon due to stress. The symptems of this were so bad that I would be bed ridden.

My minimal research shows that all of these symptoms could be caused by CD. I really think that it is and always has been CD, so I will diligently seek a GF existance and go from there. Any insight about the above symptoms would be well received. Thanks - KSLady