Lupus, Celiac Disease, and Gluten Sensitivity: Understanding the Overlap

When my lupus symptoms first started showing up pre-diagnosis, the first health issues I had were to do with my stomach and bowel.

I was diagnosed with pernicious anemia in 2000. This is a condition where the body is can't absorb vitamin B-12. I had a borderline result meaning they weren’t 100 percent sure if my deficiency was caused by pernicious anemia, a malabsorption issue, or even both. To treat this, I have to have vitamin B-12 shots every 8 weeks.

Lupus and digestive issues

At first, after I started my shots to treat my deficiency, these issues improved. However, they never truly went away. When my health started to decline quickly, the stomach and bowel issues became really problematic.

I lost about 40 pounds in weight because my appetite was virtually non-existent. I was often in so much pain that I couldn't sleep. I’d suffer from cramping and diarrhea and a full feeling in my stomach most of the time.

Gluten sensitivity, celiac disease, and lupus

After visiting a naturopathic doctor, I took an intolerance test which showed I was sensitive to gluten. He told me I would need an endoscopy to find out if I had celiac disease. He explained that there is a clear difference between gluten intolerance and celiac disease — but that both can have a negative impact on your health.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease. The body produces an immune response when it comes in contact with gluten, and this can damage the lining of the small intestine. That said, you can experience some of the below symptoms with gluten intolerance as well.

Some common symptoms include:

• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Abdominal cramps
• Bloating
• Sickness/nausea
• Acid reflux
• Mouth ulcers

Interestingly, according to a study published by the British Medical Journal, it can be common for gluten sensitivity to be masquerading as lupus and vice versa!¹ As we all know, it can be incredibly difficult to get a lupus diagnosis and it would appear that the clinical markers can be similar for both conditions.

Tests for gluten sensitivity vs. celiac disease

I wasn’t sure if it was a sensitivity to gluten that I was dealing with or full-blown celiac disease. So I decided to see how my body would react if I cut gluten out of my diet.

I set myself a time limit of 12 weeks, and I kept a diary of my symptoms. I was surprised by how easy it was to make the change — the only thing I really missed was fresh bread!

After the 12 weeks were up I did notice a vast improvement, especially in that my digestion and fatigue were much better.

I also took a blood test for celiac disease and it came out negative. But I strongly believe that staying off gluten helps keep my lupus symptoms in check!