celiac/gluten sensitive

Hi hunter,

No, they are not the same. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which your immune system reacts to gluten by producing autoantibodies which can attack various parts of your body, including the villi in the small intestine, the skin, bone, and even the brain. In the United States, the incidence of celiac is estimated to be 1 in 133.

There is also a condition called non-celiac gluten intolerance (NCGI) in which people have the same symptoms as in celiac disease, such as diarrhea or constipation, abdominal pain, acid reflux, headaches, etc, after eating gluten, but they test negative for antibodies in blood tests and negative for damaged villi in small intestinal biopsies. Estimates of the incidence of NCGI range as high as 1 in 3.

Some have argued that NCGI is just an early phase of celiac disease, and that may be the case for at least some of those with NCGI, but for now the medical profession has separated them into two different categories.

There are other illnesses that can induce gluten sensitivity besides celiac disease; for example, many people with Lyme disease discover that they can no longer tolerate gluten.

I hope this explanation helps!
JoAnn

I think that the answer is different for different people. For example, in my case I don't think that I'll ever be able to eat gluten again, because I have one of the celiac gene markers and I think I've had celiac most of my life....way before I had Lyme. But for someone who had no gluten issues until they contracted Lyme I think that the odds are good that once the Lyme is under control they may be able to eat gluten again....or maybe not!