Today’s podcast is about a topic that that is very important in the lives of people with celiac….genetics. Close to 40 percent of the population in America carries these genes, but only 3 percent of them go on to develop celiac...why would they do so? 

And, we have lots of families who regularly ask us if they carry the gene if they should just go gluten-free to prevent getting celiac disease. Is this right? 

To help our listeners better understand celiac genetic testing, I have Dr. Benny Kerzner in the studio with me. Dr. Kerzner is not only a leader in the global celiac disease community, but the also the medical director of our Celiac Program here at Children’s National. 

Thank you to the Walter and Jean Boek Global Autoimmune Institute for their ongoing support to make this podcast possible.

Genetics and Disease Development

The latest information from medical and nutrition experts about living with celiac disease and managing a gluten-free lifestyle!

Nutrition

Health & Fitness

Parents are really good at asking doctors questions about their kid's health, but do we always let our kids speak up and ask what's on their mind? Today we  are letting them do just that! We have a very special episode that features some of our loyal podcast listeners…all adorable kids who have some burning questions for doctors about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet. 

And of course, we have two fabulous physicians joining us to answer these questions, Dr. Danny Mallon, the director of the Celiac Disease Program at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Dr. Ritu Verma, the director of the Celiac Disease Center at the University of Chicago.

Kids Ask the Toughest Questions

Our podcasts about research are often are the most popular, so hopefully today’s will also deliver. Today’s topic explores another often-misunderstood condition Postural Tachycardia Syndrome or (POTS) as it often called - and its possible connection to celiac disease. This is a condition that presents with a variety of symptoms that can be difficult to diagnose – like chronic fatigue, lightheadedness, fainting, an uncomfortable, rapid increase in heartbeat when standing up, and a range of GI symptoms. POTS has even been referred to as the “invisible disease.” Today we want to discuss the gastrointestinal symptoms associated with this condition and its possible link with celiac disease. 

We have a team of fantastic experts with us here in the studio to help us better understand POTS and the studies linking it to celiac disease. We have Dr. Jeffrey Moak, the director of electrophysiology and pacing in the department of cardiology at Children’s National Hospital and Dr. Jocelyn Silvester, the director of research for the Celiac Program at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Studies referred to during the episode

https://jnnp.bmj.com/content/jnnp/76/4/579.full.pdf

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25554987/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6314490/

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.119.013602

Thank you to the Global Autoimmune Institute for their ongoing support to make this podcast possible.

POTS and Celiac Disease. What's the Link?

Today we are talking about the recent Celiac Disease Symposium at the Columbia Celiac Disease Center. This biennial event hosts two forums, one scientific and one clinical, and attracts, researchers, physicians, patients, parents, and nutritionists from around the world. It’s an amazing time to come together to learn, see old friends and make some new ones. Unfortunately, this year because of the Corona virus, the conference had a last-minute shift and only the speakers were able to gather in New York City. Thankfully the organizers (Dr. Peter Green and his team) were able to set up a web-based service so that the attendees could tune in via live stream and still partake in the incredible sharing of knowledge. 

Since we know many of our listeners were unable to attend, we are going to do a recap of the conference today on the podcast and talk about some of the big topics with one of our favorite guests, Dr. Jocelyn Silvester from Boston Children’s Hospital.

Thank you to the Global Autoimmune Institute for their ongoing support to make this podcast possible.

Hot Topics at the 2020 Columbia Celiac Symposium

Todays’ topic is about the recent “Doggie Bag” study published in the journal Gastroenterology, that suggests that a truly “gluten-free diet may be more aspirational than achievable.” We talk a lot about strict gluten-free diets on the podcast, but this study points out that even at our strictest, we may still be exposed to gluten.  

To help us better understand why this is and what it means for the future of patients with celiac disease, we have Dr. Jocelyn Silvester from Boston Children’s Hospital in the studio. Dr. Silvester is the lead researcher on the study and one of our favorite podcast guests!

Is a Gluten-Free Diet More Aspirational Than Achievable?

Education is really important when it comes to living with a chronic disease. With celiac disease, patients and their families have to keep up reading food labels, new food products, changing food products, drug development, and research. Medical providers have to stay current on new testing methods, guidelines for managing the disease, and all of the food stuff too in order to help patients manage the gluten-free diet. It’s a lot! 

On this episode of the podcast, we're sitting down with Dr. Alan Leichtner, the Chief Medical Education Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital to discuss celiac disease education. He’s going to talk to us about education of patients and families as well as education of medical professionals…and he’s going to answer some of our listener questions about what to do if you think your doctor needs a little beefing up on celiac disease! 

Links we talk about on the episode: 
NASPGHAN Clinical Guide: https://naspghan.org/professional-resources/medical-professional-resources/celiac-disease/  Evidence-Informed Recommendations for the Management of Celiac Disease in Children: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/3/e20153147Celiac Disease Foundation: https://celiac.org/about-celiac-disease/what-is-celiac-disease/

Genetics and Disease Development

Download our free app to listen on your phone