Articles
"But the two things which are relevant to CD are nutrition and immunity. People with CD have nutritional deficits because of malabsorption; common causes of neuropathy are B12 deficiency, B1 deficiency, B6 deficiency, and Vitamin E deficiency. Neuropathies are also commonly caused by the immune system through autoimmune mechanisims."..."Latov commented that 20-25% of people with CD might have neuropathy."
Celiac Disease and Peripheral Neuropathy, Norman Latov, MD, PHD 2002
Celiac neuropathy, Chin, et al 2003
Common Food Sensitivity Linked to Painful Peripheral Neuropathy
PubMed Abstracts
Celiac disease is a rare cause of neuropathy that most commonly presents with symmetric distal sensory disturbances. We describe two patients with celiac disease in whom neuropathy presented unusually with progressive weakness of the limbs. In both patients a gluten-free diet induced a significant improvement of muscle strength and neurophysiological abnormalities, suggesting a direct pathogenetic role of sensitivity to gluten. Celiac disease should be considered in patients with idiopathic neuropathy even when gastrointestinal symptoms are absent.
Celiac disease presenting with motor neuropathy: effect of gluten free-diet.
PMID: 17226827 May 2007
Three months after the initiation of gluten-free diet, his ankle edema disappeared, electromyoneurographic signs of polyneuropathy improved and liver aminotransferases normalized. Good knowledge of CD extraintestinal signs and serologic screening are essential for early CD recognition and therapy.
Celiac disease manifested by polyneuropathy and swollen ankles.
PMID: 17552018 May 2007
A total of 35 patients participated in the study, with 25 patients going on the diet and 10 not doing so. There was a significant difference in the change of sural sensory action potentials (pre-defined primary endpoint), with evidence of improvement in the intention-to-treat group and deterioration in the control group. Subjective change in neuropathy symptoms also showed significant differences, with patients in the intention-to-treat group reporting improvement and those in the control group reporting deterioration. Gluten-free diet may thus be a useful therapeutic intervention for patients with gluten neuropathy
Dietary treatment of gluten neuropathy. PMID: 17013890 Sept 2006
Positive immunoglobulin (Ig)G with or without IgA antigliadin antibodies was found in 34% (47/140) of the patients with idiopathic neuropathy. This compares with 12% prevalence of these antibodies in the healthy controls. The prevalence of coeliac disease as shown by biopsy in the idiopathic group was at least 9% as compared with 1% in the controls. The clinical features of 100 patients (47 from the prevalence study and 53 referred from elsewhere) with gluten neuropathy included a mean age at onset of 55 (range 24-77) years and a mean duration of neuropathy of 9 (range 1-33) years. Gluten-sensitive enteropathy was present in 29% of patients. The human leucocyte antigen types associated with coeliac disease were found in 80% of patients.
Neuropathy associated with gluten sensitivity.
PMID: 16835287 Jul 2006
Anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies in peripheral neuropathy and motor neuronopathy.
PMID: 16774628 July 2006
PMID: 16766047 Jun 2006
CONCLUSION: There was a high frequency of additional sources of DSP in patients with DM. These patients more often had sensory symptoms and findings in the hands. Tests that may be useful in the evaluation of DSP in diabetic patients include measures of vitamins B1, B6, B12, serum triglycerides, and immunofixation.
Additional causes for distal sensory polyneuropathy in diabetic patients.
PMID: 16484643 Mar 2006
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CD may have a neuropathy involving small fibers, demonstrated by results of skin biopsy. The pattern of symptoms, with frequent facial involvement and a non-length-dependent pattern on skin biopsy findings, suggests a sensory ganglionopathy or an immune-mediated neuropathy. Improvement of symptoms in some patients after initiating a gluten-free diet warrants further study.
Small-fiber neuropathy/neuronopathy associated with celiac disease: skin biopsy findings.
PMID: 16216941 Oct 2005
Gluten sensitivity and neuromyelitis optica: two case reports.
PMID: 15965221 Jul 2005
PMID: 16041109 June 2005
Coeliac disease is associated with numerous neurological manifestations including cerebellar ataxia, myelopathy, myopathy, and peripheral neuropathy. This report describes four patients who presented subacutely with presyncope and postural nausea. All four patients had biopsy proven coeliac disease with dysautonomia present on autonomic evaluation.
Autonomic neuropathy and coeliac disease.
PMID: 15774451 April 2005
Peripheral Neuropathy and Celiac Disease. PMID: 15610706 Jan 2005
Neurologic complications are estimated to occur in 10% of affected patients, with ataxia and peripheral neuropathy being the most common problems
Celiac neuropathy. May 2003 Full Text
Although previously considered rare, neurologic manifestations of gastrointestinal diseases are increasingly recognized
Neurologic manifestations of gastrointestinal disease Feb 2002
Our data suggest that gluten sensitivity is common in patients with neurological disease of unknown cause and may have aetiological significance.
Does cryptic gluten sensitivity play a part in neurological illness? Feb 1996
Both vitamin depletion and immunological mechanisms may cause neurological disorder. Neurological manifestations may occur before the gastrointestinal symptoms.
Neurological diseases associated with celiac disease Feb 2000
It is well known that coeliac disease may be associated with various neurological manifestations. The most common neurological manifestations were neuropathy, memory impairment and cerebellar ataxia.
Coeliac disease presenting with neurological disorders 1999
Peripheral neuropathies, of axonal and demyelinating types, have also been reported and may respond to elimination of gluten from the diet.
The neurology and neuropathology of coeliac disease Dec 2000
The neuropathy of celiac disease may be autoimmune and associated with anti-ganglioside antibodies.
Ganglioside reactive antibodies in the neuropathy associated with celiac disease June 2002
Please Note
While many of these references discuss peripheral neuropathy within the context of Celiac Disease, the research of Dr. Marios Hadjivassiliou and others is showing us that gluten sensitivity can manifest solely as neurological disease without meeting the strict diagnostic criteria (villous atrophy) for Celiac Disease.
Gluten Sensitivity as a Neurological Illness