My third daughter developed celiac disease at 17 after a
really severe case of whooping cough. At 2 she had a really nasty case of rota virus which required her to be hospitalize for 1 week on a drip to
re-hydrate. (None of my other 3 children were infected) I have often wondered if her infection with rota virus was the cause
of her celiac disease.
A recent study by the US national Library of Medicine,
National Institute of Health concluded "This prospective
study provides the first indication that a high frequency of rota virus
infections may increase the risk of celiac disease autoimmunity in childhood in
genetically predisposed individuals."
When you understand the way viruses invade the
body you can appreciate that this is possibly true. When a virus first invades the
body it infects a host cell – this time the cells of the gut. When it is in its
active phase the virus takes over the host cell and replicates, causing cell
lysis and the subsequent symptoms associated with rota virus. This is called the
LYTIC phase of virus replication. When
the body begins to recover the virus enters the LATENT phase where replication
of the virus ceases and the virus genetic material (either DNA or RNA becomes
embedded in the nucleus of the host cell. The viral genetic material becomes
part of the host cell and replicates at the same time as the host genetics. But
unfortunately the presence of the viral DNA alters the genetics of the host
cell and in the case of rota virus causes the gut cells to trigger celiac
disease.
This trigger may be due to the fact that an immune
response to viral infections may play a role in the development of celiac
disease. The immune system recognizes that there is an
"invade" within the host gut cells and produces antibodies against
the gut cell in order to deactivate the virus and destroy the host cell.
This effect is being investigated at the
University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. Researchers there are evaluating
whether or not certain viruses trigger immune reactions that lead to celiac
disease in susceptible individuals. The study is ongoing, but what they have
found so far is interesting:
• Certain viruses can cause the immune system to “overreact.” If this
reaction is prolonged or repeated, it may cause someone to lose the ability to
tolerate gluten.
• Different celiac patients had different immune responses to the same
infection. This may help explain why symptoms vary so much from one person with
celiac disease to another.
• Certain viruses, such as rotavirus, are more likely to trigger these
particular immune responses.
If viruses are found to contribute to the
development of celiac disease, the discovery could open up avenues for
prevention. We may be able to vaccinate against these viruses and prevent
the onset of celiac disease in certain individuals. This may be of particular
importance to relatives of people with celiac disease. They are at higher risk
for developing the disease. Treatments such as this may sound far off, but a
vaccination already exists for rota virus. If this virus is found to be one of
the triggers for celiac disease, a simple vaccination may help prevent celiac
disease in susceptible individuals.
Although the University of Chicago’s research is not yet
published, it appears the authors felt the findings are significant enough to
do a preliminary release of their data. This is promising news for the celiac
community, as it focuses attention on prevention of celiac disease for future
generations.
My personal view is that rota virus had an
important role in making my daughter susceptible to celiac disease – no one
else in my family (I have 4 children) have had rota virus and no one else has
celiac disease. I believe that my daughter's whooping cough finally triggered
her celiac disease which had been sitting there inactive since she was 2.
But mean while we are lucky to have the gluten-free
diet as a treatment. My daughters celiac disease is very much in control with
her very strict diet. A gluten free diet
must be 100% and takes knowledge to implement. I have written a guide to show
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