NEWS: Celiac Disease

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Celiac disease: Shedding light on Dr. Tony Riehl's condition

By KATHRYN BIRDWELL, The Daily Sentinel

Sunday, February 12, 2006

 

Ten years ago, Margie Tipton thought she was going to die.

 

She hurt from her neck to her groin, she would gain up to 10 pounds after

each meal and even the simplest tasks exhausted her.

 

" I was in bed more than I was out of it, " Tipton, who was always extremely

energetic, said. " By the end of the day, I would look nine months pregnant. "

It would take her more than seven months, 10 different doctors and a battery

of tests to find out she was suffering from celiac disease, an autoimmune

intestinal disorder in which the body can't digest gluten, a protein found

in wheat, barley and rye. For people like Tipton, one bite of pizza or a

teaspoon of flour can ignite a response from the immune system, causing

damage to the small intestine and blocking the absorption of nutrients.

 

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates that one out of 133

people in the United States is affected with celiac disease, many people in

the Nacogdoches community only recently became acquainted with the

disorder - after Nacogdoches ISD superintendent Dr. Tony Riehl went on

medical leave in the middle of October to deal with complications resulting

from celiac disease. Riehl, who remains on medical leave, has also spoken

candidly about his condition, hoping, he said, to shed some light on a

still-mysterious disease.

 

" For two and a half years, I have been suffering from celiac disease, a

digestive disease that damages the small intestine. People who have celiac

disease cannot tolerate the protein gluten, found in many common foods, "

Riehl said. " These proteins are found in all forms of wheat - including

durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn and faro - and related grains, rye,

barley, and triticale and must be eliminated. Gluten can be hard to avoid.

It's even found in lipstick, gum, toothpaste, and is in most processed

food. "

 

And Tipton said although a great deal more is known about celiac disease

today, it remains a difficult condition to diagnose because it's symptoms

mimic so many other diseases.

 

" Years ago, some doctors thought I had irritable bowel syndrome, some

thought gallbladder problems - one even suggested I visit a psychiatrist, "

Tipton said. " Finally, a rheumatologist ordered a blood test that pinpointed

the problem. "

 

For the surest diagnosis today, stomach and intestine specialist Dr. Michael

Mollet said he performs a biopsy of the small intestines to check for

damages caused by the disease. The villi in the small intestines of celiac

sufferers is destroyed, Mollet said, interfering with nutrient absorption

and ultimately causing a host of problems, including anemia and peripheral

neuropathy, a disease that damages the nerves in the extremities. In fact,

Mollet said, many victims of celiac disease spend much of their time

recovering from these secondary effects of the disease.

 

Although the cause of celiac disease remains unknown, Mollet said many

people believe it is genetically related. People from Northern Europe seem

to be disproportionately affected, he said.

 

After she was diagnosed with celiac disease, Tipton said her mother, who had

suffered from a host of health problems her entire life, discovered that

she, too, was a carrier - and had most likely passed the condition on to her

children. When Tipton's brother's migraine headaches were eventually

identified as a secondary symptom of celiac disease, she said the apparent

genetic links were hard to ignore.

 

While Tipton's family all suffered from celiac disease, it was clear that

their symptoms varied widely. With a variety of ways the disorder manifests

itself, Tipton said looking for a one-size-fits-all cure will not work.

 

" Everyone with this condition is different, and what makes me sick may not

do the same to another person with the disease, " Tipton said. " Where we do

agree, however, is that diet is the key to controlling celiac disease. If

you can identify and eliminate the foods, and products, that disagree with

your body, you can feel, almost immediately, better. "

 

Kathryn Birdwell's e-mail address is kbirdwell.