Another symptom of celiac disease
According to an article in Rueters.com, recurrent mouth ulcers, like canker sores, may suggest celiac disease. Even more surprisingly, in 5% of celiacs it may be the only symptom that occurs. For these celiacs that suffer from canker sores, they tend to reappear in times of stress and are associated with viral infections, food allergies and other conditions.
In the study, the celiac patients did not respond well to conventional mouth ulcer meds. However, those that started a strict gluten-free diet showed significant improvement within 2-6 months.
This breakthrough is important because it may assist medical doctors, including dentists, in recognizing celiac disease in more patients.
On a mission to spread celiac awareness & diagnosis, I am going to make sure that I mention this finding to my dentist during my next visit. Please join me!
July 7th, 2009 at 6:29 am
Canker sores were a symptom of gluten intolerance for my son and myself. I think the percentage is even higher than stated. Many folks in my support group report that they had mouth ulcers before and now only get them when they accidentally ingest gluten.
Yes, spread the word …
Shirley
July 7th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Makes sense to me. I used to have lots of them, now that I’m GF they are rare. Also, a friend who was diagnosed but having trouble with the diet got much more serious about it when she realized that her periodontal disease was almost non-existent when she was meticulous in her GF diet, but roared back when she cheated.