Gluten sensitivity is very common.
All of us have patterns of proteins on the surface of our white blood cells. These proteins are known as human leukocyte antigens (HLA), one of which is DQ. Celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), and several autoimmune conditions occur more frequently with certain HLA DQ types. DQ gene testing is performed by analyzing cells from a blood sample or from a Q-tip swab of the mouth. HLA types have a naming system that can be confusing even to scientists and physicians but here is my explanation of the testing, the results, and what they may mean to you and your family. Each of us has two copies of HLA DQ. Because there are 9 serotypes of DQ we are all DQx/DQx where x is a number between 1 & 9. For example, I am DQ2/DQ7. I received the DQ2 from one of my parents and the DQ7 from the other. Because we get one DQ type from each of our parents and give one to each of our children it is easy to to see how the DQ genes pass through a family. This is important because two DQ types, DQ2 and DQ8, are estimated to be present in over 98% of all people who have celiac disease, the most severe form of gluten sensitivity.
Rarely, true celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis,
the skin disease equivalent of celiac, have been reported to occur in people who do not have DQ2 and/or DQ8. However, according to unpublished data from Dr. Ken Fine of Enterolab, the other six types, except DQ4, are associated with risk for elevated stool antibodies to gliadin, the toxic fraction of gluten, and/or tissue transglutaminase (tTG) an enzyme. Both of these antibodies are usually elevated in the blood of individuals with celiac disease though they may be normal in the blood of individuals who are gluten sensitive and have a normal small intestine biopsy but respond favorably to a gluten-free diet.
Fine has publicly reported that elevated stool antibodies to gliadin and/or tTG have been detected in all of the untreated celiacs tested in his lab and 60% of non-celiacs who have symptoms consistent with gluten sensitivity but in none of the controls tested including cow manure. Follow up surveys of those individuals with elevated stool antibodies who initiated a gluten-free diet compared with those with elevated antibodies who did not reportedly showed significantly improved quality of life and improved symptoms in the gluten-free group.
He also reported DQ2 and DQ8 positive individuals have had, as a rule, the highest elevations of stool gliadin antibody followed by those who are DQ7 positive. Only those who are doubly positive for DQ4 have not been found to have significantly elevated antibodies to indicated gluten sensitivity. This is consistent with the differences in prevalence rates of celiac disease seen in various parts of the world since DQ4 is not generally found in Caucasians of Northern European ancestry where celiac incidence is highest but in those from Asia or Southern Africa where there is a very low incidence of celiac disease and gluten intolerance.
Source
I personally struggled with acne for a number of years before removing gluten from my diet. My skin is now clear and I rarely suffer from breakouts.
