Gluten is a protein found in a variety of grains, including wheat, rye, barley and their relatives. If you possess a certain genetic makeup, consumption of gluten leads to a heightened immune response that can cause intestinal inflammation and trigger inflammatory responses in other organs and tissues, such as your liver, joints, skin and nervous system. The manifestations of gluten sensitivity, also known as celiac disease, sometimes mimic other disorders.
Celiac Disease
A December 2007 "American Family Physician" review reports that celiac disease affects as many as 1 in 100 to 200 persons in the United States. Some people with gluten sensitivity do not exhibit any symptoms, but others develop significant problems with multiple organ systems and even have a heightened risk for certain kinds of cancer. Because its symptoms overlap with those of other disorders, celiac disease is often diagnosed only after extensive medical evaluation rules out other illnesses. Up to 14 percent of celiac patients experience neurologic symptoms, which may resemble those seen in multiple sclerosis.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic immune disorder whose cause is unknown. This disease is characterized by neurologic symptoms that vary from patient to patient. Visual difficulties, abnormal sensations, weakness, muscle spasms, bladder problems and decreased mental function are common complaints. Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, of your brain and spinal cord shows patchy defects called plaques that are diagnostic of MS. According to a study published in the March 2011 issue of "BMC Neurology," these plaques have been seen in some patients suffering from both celiac disease and MS, and celiac disease may be more common in MS patients.
Neuromyelitis Optica
Once thought to be a subtype of MS, neuromyelitis optica is a condition caused by inflammation in your spinal cord and optical nerves that leads to degeneration of the protective myelin sheath in these areas. MRI of your brain and spinal cord reveals plaques that resemble those found in MS. The July 2005 issue of "Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry" cited what were thought to be the first two reported cases of gluten sensitivity that presented itself as neuromyelitis optica. In March 2011, another case of gluten sensitivity associated with neuromyelitis optica was reported in "The Israel Medical Association Journal."
Considerations
Gluten sensitivity can be associated with inflammatory changes in multiple organ systems, including your nervous system. Both celiac disease and MS are autoimmune conditions, meaning they are caused by inappropriate immune responses directed against your own tissues. Whether MS and celiac disease are simply found together more frequently or whether celiac disease can mimic MS on MRI scanning is unclear, but scientists have discovered associations between gluten sensitivity and MS-like disorders. If you have gluten sensitivity and your MRI has shown changes consistent with MS, ask your physician about a possible connection.
References
- "American Family Physician"; Celiac Disease; R.J. Presutti, et al.; December 2007
- "BMC Neurology"; Prevalence of Celiac Disease in Multiple Sclerosis; L. Rodrigo, et al.; March 2011
- "Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry"; Gluten Sensitivity and Neuromyelitis Optica: Two Case Reports; S. Jacob, et al.; July 2005
- "The Israel Medical Association Journal"; Pathogenic Role of Aquaporin Antibodies in the Development of Neuromyelitis Optica in a Woman with Celiac Disease; M. Matijaca, et al.; March 2011
