I have been told that i have arthritis which is caused by coeliac disease.

[zanydog]

I have been told it is non- inflammatory, even though I do get redness and swelling. It is treated with analgesia but has spread to all joints and left me on crutches and using a wheelchair - I just wondered how common this is for coeliacs? I also have extra bad flare-ups if I accidentally eat gluten. Any advice please?

On the plus side,I have just taken the DWP to Tribunal and won higher rate mobility and higher rate care,so hopefully coeliac is becoming more recognised!!

[FionaGFG Administrator]

Thanks for your question. We've done some delving into this and have jotted down some key points and handy websites for reference below. As always we're not Doctors ourselves so do contact your specialist or GP to discuss the issue in depth. We hoped our reply is useful. If any other members here have Arthritis and Coeliac Disease we're sure they'll comment and offer some tips as well.

Arthritis:

>The most common form of arthritis is 'osteoarthritis'

(a disease of joints characterised by cartilage destruction and new bone formation).

>The most common form of inflammatory arthritis is 'rheumatoid arthritis'

(Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that is caused by damage to the immune system).

Osteoarthritis:

So I suspect you have Osteoarthritis as you've said you've been told it's non-inflammatory? See here for an overview from NHS Choices:nhs.uk/conditions/osteoarth...

>More common in women vs men

>More common in people 50yrs+

Common in Coeliacs?

We've found some research with varying stats ref the link between both types of Arthritis and Coeliac Disease. So it's hard for us to give you a definitive % of the connection between both diseases.

The Coeliac UK website states:

"It has been suggested that the chance of developing other autoimmune diseases is increased when diagnosis of coeliac disease is delayed. This may be explained by prolonged exposure to gluten."

coeliac.org.uk/healthcare-p...

Your symptoms:

It's best to discuss these with a Doctor. However, we've seen medical sites repeatedly state that these are the common signs of arthritis:

5 signs or symptoms of arthritis:

>Pain

>Swelling

>Redness

>Stiffness

>Loss of function

(source: Liam Martin MB, MRCPI, FRCPC Division of Rheumatology

University of Calgary)

We've also seen sites mention that some patients find that their Arthritis symptoms worsen when they:

> eat gluten

> eat acidic foods

> eat red meat

On the other hand some online studies dispute this. So you may need to just assess this yourself. Obviously avoiding gluten as a Coeliac will help prevent stress on your immune system and avoid some of the general associated 'glutened' symptoms.

Treatment:

This varies but often for either type of Arthritis general painkillers (ie Analgesics like paracetamol and NSAIDs like Ibuprofen are recommended by Doctors). See: arthritisresearchuk.org/art...

As a Coeliac it's always worth asking the Pharmacist (not the sales assistant) to check that these over the counter painkillers do not contain gluten. We've been surprised to see that magnesium sterate (often used as a filler) can be derived from wheat. Note: All UK prescription medicines in the UK are classed as gluten free.

Ref NSAIDs do bear in mind:

> take when you have eaten (as they can aggrevate your stomach lining)

> some people react poorly to Cox 1 or Cox 2 inhibitors (these work by inhibiting the production of prostaglandins which are know for their inflammation and immune response)

"COX-2 inhibitors were discovered later, as a “healthier, more targeted” way of treating the inflammation – without the side effects( of COX1). This makes sense as COX-2 is found more commonly in inflammatory and immune cells than COX-1 drugs, which exist throughout the body."

glucosamine-arthritis.org/a...

One of our team had a 'bout' of Juvenile Arthritis in her twenties and she was ill from one of the Cox inhibitors given to her. So it's just something to bear in mind as some people tolerate one more than the other. On the plus side when years later she discovered she had Coeliac Disease her symptoms lessened dramatically.

We hope that this has been helpful. As you'll see from the links below there are additional treatments for arthritis and it's always worth discussing these with your Doctor if you find that the current measures aren't working well for you.

Good luck.

See:glucosamine-arthritis.org/a...

Handy websites for more information:

patient.co.uk/health/Osteoa...

nhs.uk/Livewell/Pain/Pages/...

Support groups & charities:

arthritisresearchuk.org/