Gluten-Free Diet Helps Treat Neurological Manifestations of Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease

Celiac.com 04/30/2019 - Doctors recognize that patients with gluten sensitivity, whether or not they have enteropathy, or even gastrointestinal symptoms, can suffer from a range of debilitating neurological manifestations.

Researchers Panagiotis Zis and Marios Hadjivassiliou of the Academic Department of Neurosciences, Sheffield Teaching hospitals NHS Trust and University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK, recently published an overview of current literature in an effort to assess the available treatment options for the neurological manifestations of gluten-related disorders, specifically, serologically confirmed gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.

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For patients with gluten sensitivity, ataxia is the most common neurological manifestation, followed by peripheral neuropathy. Other conditions linked to gluten sensitivity and celiac disease and discussed in the review include:

• epilepsy
• headache
• encephalopathy
• movement disorders
• cognitive impairment
• muscle disorders

The team found that a strict gluten-free diet is effective in treating neurological manifestations of gluten-related disorders. Rarely, patients need additional immunosuppressive treatment, usually mycophenolate.

There have been cases where gluten ingestion triggered schizophrenic episodes in an undiagnosed patient. Meanwhile, a number of studies have shown that a gluten-free diet seems to help improve symptoms of psychological, neurological and inflammatory conditions, including schizophrenia, neuropathy, and diabetes.

Stay tuned for more news about gluten and related health issues.

Read more in Current Treatment Options in Neurology