Is a positive ANA linked to celiac disease?

Hi everyone,

I'm a 21 year old female who is currently being tested for celiac disease or IBS, but prior to these upcoming bloodtests for celiac, I had blood work done  because on and off for the past year i've been experiencing severe fatigue, muscle ache, muscle weakness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, waking up as if I havent gotten enough sleep. I had a positive ANA last year but it was from strep that turned into rheumatic fever in addition to mono. Now i have similar symptoms from last year but do not have strep or mono currently, but I have a positive ANA. I now have intestinal symptoms such as constipation and diarrhea intermittenly, abdominal cramping if i eat something very starchy, dairy, loss of appetite,gas, bloating, and the worst of all severe abdominal distension for almost three weeks now. I am already dairy free but am thinking of trying to go gluten free to see if it helps.  Please help, thanks

[achilles2]

Since you have a postive ANA it would be a good idea to go gluten free. (Even if you do not have Celiacs there is obviously some autoimmune issues and gluten increases inflammation making the issues worse.)

Here is some info on positive ANA:
http://www.lupus.org/webmodules/webarticlesnet/templates/new_empty.aspx?articleid=402

It does not mention Celiac but it would not surprise me if it did.

achilles2

[hell1971]

Hi You should not go gluten free until you have had the blood tests done, otherwise you could have a false negative result. I would wait until this has been checked and then have a go at gluten free.

[lilmisskris0307]

I haven't started gluten free yet. i've been dairy free for a couple years off and on though. I got a call from my gastroenterologist today about an xray i took monday and apparently I have a large amount of stool in my intestines even though I've been going to the bathroom. he's having me take miralax but in the meantime I've been researching and saw that a vitamin d deficiency can be related to severe constipation due to malabsorption and can also be linked to celiac. I'm still waiting on my vitamin deficiency blood results to come back but some of the symptoms sound similar. I also see constipation can be a symptom of celiac. anyone have experience with this?