Could Autism Be Linked to Autoimmune Diseases, including Celiac?

An interesting link has been found between autoimmune diseases & autism. Healthday.com has an enlightening article about the study.  You can also read the abstract from the study released July 5th in Pediatrics journal here.

So, is this the proverbial question of “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?”  What type of relationship is there between autoimmune diseases & autism?  Let’s consider the study released from the Mayo clinic that found celiac disease is 4.5 times more prevalent today than 50 years ago.  So that statistic, coupled with this study makes me even more interested in the “whys” & “hows” of celiac/gluten intolerance.

It’s alarming to consider the seemingly increase in cases of celiac (& other autoimmune diseases) and the children with symptoms all over the autistic spectrum (asperger’s, etc)  What has changed in western culture over the last 50-75 years?  Health care, agriculture, communications, commerce & trade are all very different.  Are there any constants during this time period?  I’m at a loss to come up with any right now.  How about you?

We are living in a life that would be almost completely foreign to someone from the 1940′s.  Just the fact that we’re communicating via the world wide web would be enough to freak a time traveler out, don’t ya think?  When my hubby & I first got online…I resisted, because , “I’ll never use that.”  Never say never, right? It was 1996 and most of the decent websites were only on AOL.  (That is a foreign thought, huh?)  I vividly remember thinking how amazing it was to instantly communicate with others all around the world.  While I still believe the internet is really amazing, I’m not balled over by “talking” to people all over the world.  It’s no longer new.  It’s become quite normal & “everyday” for many people, including myself.

So, all that to say…I’m still wrapping my brain around the increase in celiac/gluten intolerance and wanting to make sense of it.  I believe western civilization’s failing health (overall) is related to changes in our lifestyles & culture, but I do not pretend to understand it.  I know there is so much to this story & look forward to seeing the fruit of the growing interest in it. 

Tagged as: autism, Autoimmune disease, celiac