Autoimmune or celiac?

[Jessiemyers]

Celiac runs in my family--my sister, a cousin. But I never had any issues with wheat until I went through early menopause at 48. Then I came down suddenly with this autoimmune disease called eosinophilic fascitis -- basically the fascia all over my body was inflamed. they did an mri -- scarring all along my forearms... they put me on high dose prednisone but it didnt really help. i did an elimination diet and discovered it was wheat.... now every time i eat wheat its the same thing: 48-72 hours later, the skin around my ankles wrists and upper back gets super tight.

 

has anyone heard of anything like this?

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, @Jessiemyers!

No, I have not heard of this kind of reaction to gluten in our celiac/NCGS forum community. There is an epidermal expression of gluten intolerance/celiac disease known as dermatitis hermpetiformis, which is a rash with pustules in the bumps, but what you describe doesn't sound like that.

Having said that, we are steadily adding to the list of symptoms and collateral health conditions caused by celiac disease which now numbers over 200.

Be aware that if you are intending to get tested for celiac disease you must be eating generous amounts of gluten daily for weeks leading up to the testing. We're talking about an amount of gluten equivalent to about 4-6 pieces of bread daily. Realize also that gluten is found not only in wheat but in barley and rye.

[Scott Adams]

I've not heard of a connection before between celiac disease and eosinophilic fascitis, however given the high number of disorders that are related to celiac disease it's certainly possible that in some with eosinophilic fascitis, there might be a connection. While both conditions involve an abnormal immune response, there is no established connection between eosinophilic fasciitis and celiac disease. However, it's not uncommon for individuals with one autoimmune condition to be at a higher risk of developing another, due to the general dysregulation of the immune system. If someone has both conditions, it's likely coincidental rather than directly related.