Hi! I'm 38yo with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, Raynaud's and Celiac disease (among other things, LOL). Since Celiac is little known yet often seen with other autoimmune diseases I thought I'd post some info.
Celiac is an "associated" disease with many autoimmune disorders including Lupus, RA, Fibromyalgia, Alopecia Areata, Addison's Disease, Autoimmune Liver Disease, Sjogren's, Grave's Disease, Hashimoto's Disease, Aphthous Stomatitis, MS, Vitiligo and Raynaud's.
Celiac is an inherited autoimmune disease, where the body's own immune system mistakenly attacks the small intestine. Symptoms vary widely. Many are misdiagnosed with IBS or told it's "all in their head". 1 in every 100 people have this disorder, 1% of the US population, and a shocking 97% remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Of the 2.1 million people with type 1 diabetes, 8 to 10 percent also have Celiac disease. The average time to diagnosis is 9 years.
Unlike other autoimmune diseases, we know of and can remove the "trigger" that sets off the immune system in Celiac - gluten. Gluten is the protein in grains, specifically wheat, rye, barley and contaminated oats. (Most oats are contaminated in the field, being grown and harvested with wheat) In almost all cases a gluten free diet results in complete remmission within a few months. Refractory Celiac is the exeception; a rare condition where the immune system continues it's attack despite strict adherence to the GF diet. RC is treated like any other autoimmune disorder, with steroids and immuneosuppressents.
Some Celiac links: