TESTING
FOR AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
When your child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, he should also be screened for autoimmune
thyroid disease. His doctor will do these thyroid tests at intervals or if there is a problem with your child’s
growth, because low thyroid hormone levels can slow down growth.
In celiac disease, eating
foods containing gluten (that is, those derived from wheat, oats, rye, and barley) cause an autoimmune damage to
the wall of the small bowel. This damage leads to diarrhea, abdominal pain, tiredness, problems absorbing
vitamins such as vitamin B12
, poor weight gain,
and decreased growth. It can also affect the absorption of carbohydrates, causing hypoglycemia. The treatment is a
gluten-free diet. Screening for celiac disease is done when a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes is made, and then again
if the child has problems such as growth failure or weight loss or gastrointestinal problems. The blood test that
is done is called tissue transglutaminase IgA autoantibody. If the blood test is positive, then your child will
need to see a gastroenterologist, who may do a small bowel biopsy to confi rm the
diagnosis. You need to be sure
of the diagnosis because you do not want to put your child on a gluten-free diet unless it is absolutely
necessary. A gluten-free diet should only be started after the diagnosis has been confirmed—starting it earlier
may affect the results of the tests.
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