Can Sleep Apnea Cause Celiac Disease?

[roster]

http://doctorstevenpark.com/can-sleep-a ... ac-disease

[Muse-Inc]

Interesting article Rooster! Thanks for posting. Mom is gluten sensitive & I get congested from too much (gustatory rhinitis is the $20 word for it), so we avoid it. Will be interesting to keep an eye on this and see where it leads over time.

[split_city]

Interesting indeed....but not the case with my wife who has Celiacs but no OSA.

[evbirch]

My understanding is that you must have a genetic predisposition to get celiac disease. I would guess that if there is a connection, it may be that people with celiac disease might be likely to have sleep apnea as a co-morbidity rather than sleep apnea actually causing celiac disease.

Just my two cents.

[roster]

My understanding is that you must have a genetic predisposition to get celiac disease. I would guess that if there is a connection, it may be that people with celiac disease might be likely to have sleep apnea as a co-morbidity rather than sleep apnea actually causing celiac disease.

Just my two cents.

Why do some people with a genetic predisposition get celiac disease and some don't? As Dr. Park says, "Chronic low-grade stress heightens your nervous system and immune system, where your body tends to over-react to normal stimulants or irritants." It's only hypothesis at this point as far as science is concerned, but the chronic low-grade stress of sleep apnea could trigger celiac disease in those with the disposition. At the same time others with the genetic disposition but without sleep apnea might avoid celiac disease.

Note the case of 'a3' who commented on Dr. Park's article. He wants to know why, having the genetics for celiac, he could still avoid it for 50 years. As we know, SA is a progressive condition with damage gradually accumulating. It could be that finally at age 50 the accumulated and worsening damage from SA has triggered a3's celiac disease.

[evbirch]

OK, I can accept that the chronic physical stress of sleep apnea could result in the "activation" of celiac disease. Or other conditions, as well.

[MauraAnderson]

Rooster - I LOVE you for finding this. I've been treating my OSA for 90 days and I'm currently being tested for celiac - which my dr says she's 99% sure I have.

Very interesting.

[Julie]

Evbirch is right, I think. It's a matter of co-morbidity, a 'connection', and not which came first and caused the other. Really the same kind of connection we have with GERD (which celiac probably has a lot more in common with). In 20 yrs we'll probably know the answer, but right now it's not that important, just the knowledge that e.g. having celiac probably impacts OSA quite hard, but hopefully is not that common itself and can be helped, though paying a fortune for food without something in it is another mystery I'd love to solve!

[roster]

Rooster - I LOVE you for finding this. I've been treating my OSA for 90 days and I'm currently being tested for celiac - which my dr says she's 99% sure I have.

Very interesting.

Maybe you can bookmark this thread and post the findings here.

Thanks.

[DreamStalker]

I think the reason there is a strong link between OSA and celiac or any number of other disease states as Parks indicated (as well as others he did not list), is that OSA is a strong contributor to hormonal “disregulation”.

Everyone has genetic predispositions to degenerative disease. It is the hormonal system that triggers the predispositions to be turned on or off. The physiological and biochemical environment stimulates our numerous hormones to signal or communicate with our cells at the molecular/genetic level. In a healthy state, our hormones enable us to respond to toxins and both physical and mental stress. We succumb to a disease state when our hormones become dysfunctional and/or unbalanced.

As Parks states, inadequate sleep and oxygen deprivation causes chronic low-grade stress. The chronic stress contributes to hormonal disregulation. Our genes are then triggered for a disease state. So basically, OSA makes all of our predispositions to diseases more likely to occur. Throw in age-related reductions of key hormonal production levels and a metabolic syndrome induced American diet, and you become one sick puppy.

[BlackSpinner]

I think the reason there is a strong link between OSA and celiac or any number of other disease states as Parks indicated (as well as others he did not list), is that OSA is a strong contributor to hormonal “disregulation”.

Everyone has genetic predispositions to degenerative disease. It is the hormonal system that triggers the predispositions to be turned on or off. The physiological and biochemical environment stimulates our numerous hormones to signal or communicate with our cells at the molecular/genetic level. In a healthy state, our hormones enable us to respond to toxins and both physical and mental stress. We succumb to a disease state when our hormones become dysfunctional and/or unbalanced.

As Parks states, inadequate sleep and oxygen deprivation causes chronic low-grade stress. The chronic stress contributes to hormonal disregulation. Our genes are then triggered for a disease state. So basically, OSA makes all of our predispositions to diseases more likely to occur. Throw in age-related reductions of key hormonal production levels and a metabolic syndrome induced American diet, and you become one sick puppy.

There is some good explanations how this happens with epignomes here:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genes/

What I found scary is that what granddad ate or didn't eat was related to the grandsons disposition to diabetes!