healthmedicinet

• Man had previously – and unsuccessfully – been treated for migraine
• CT scan eventually detected calcium stones in his brain
• After  adopting gluten-free diet and taking medication, headaches lessened
  

By
Anna Hodgekiss

Published:

06:12 EST, 18 April 2014

|
Updated:

08:57 EST, 18 April 2014

A Brazilian man who suffered from terrible headaches and vision problems was found to have ‘calcium stones’ in his brain.

The stones were due to him suffering from undiagnosed coeliac disease – an autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten.

Because of his symptoms of headaches and vision problems, the man had been treated for migraines but shown no signs of improvement.

The ‘calcium stones’ found in the brain of a Brazilian man suffering from headaches for several years

It was only  when he had a CT scan that the calcium stones – patches of calcification in the back of the man’s brain -  were detected in the area responsible for vision, LiveScience reports.

Tests showed fluid in the man’s brain had antibodies associated with coeliac disease. The condition is caused by a reaction of the immune system to gluten – a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.

When someone with coeliac disease eats gluten, their immune system reacts by damaging the lining of the small intestine, stopping the body from absorbing nutrients.

The case report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, backs up previous research that 60 per cent of coeliac patients also have neurological symptoms.

Other symptoms of the condition can include bloating, diarrhoea, nausea, wind, constipation, tiredness, headaches, mouth ulcers, sudden weight loss, hair loss, anaemia and osteoporosis.

The stones were due to him suffering from undiagnosed coeliac disease – an autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten – found in wheat, barley and rye

Blood tests found the man had an iron deficiency and coeliac disease.

When he began eating a gluten-free diet, taking iron tablets and epilepsy drugs, his condition improved, it was reported.

The doctors treating the man, at the University of São Paulo, say it isn’t clear how coeliac disease causes the stones to accumulate in the brain.

One theory is that an inability to absorb iron may be to blame.

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Comments (33)

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The comments below have not been moderated.

Logjam,

Lillooet,

35 minutes ago

Some people never can get a comment printed.

Manu man,

London, United Kingdom,

1 hour ago

Poor person …still at least they have finally diagnosed the condition…

ajay,

Cheshire,

1 hour ago

To people writing hideous comments, get a grip. Celiac disease ruined 22 years of my life until I got diagnosed, migraines, loss of hair, going to the toilet without warning. It ruined the life of a young girl. Now I’ve been diagnosed I am the happiest I have ever been, I can go out and not worry about what might happen, I can eat whatever I want that is gluten free and I have a healthy BMI. To people who think the CD is some kind of joke then think again, it effects your fertility and can lead to cancer unless treated. Get tested and change your life if you suffer like us CD sufferers did.

Bill,

London, United Kingdom,

1 hour ago

I wish all migraines were that easy to diagnose, I’ve had them since I was a kid ( diagnosed at the age of five ). I’m 62 in a few weeks time, and they still don’t know what causes them.

Jill,

cork – ireland,

1 hour ago

Im a coeliac….. Was diagnosed two years ago (in my 30s) and my specialist has advised me to take calcium supplements. ….it will be interesting to see what exactly the link is between CD and the stones

Litlmissbuttons,

Great Britain, United Kingdom,

2 hours ago

If the man had an iron deficiency, how can his inability to absorb iron be responsible for the stones ? It also states that his condition improved after having iron tablets. So I am a bit confused.

welshleo,

Cardiff, United Kingdom,

1 hour ago

Because when you stop eating gluten you can then absorb iron. It’s not rocket science!

thomasm1964,

No Point, Afghanistan,

1 hour ago

If you have an iron deficiency, you need to take more iron – but in a form that the body can absorb. Typically, you supplement with iron tables and vitamin C because vitamin C helps the body to absord iron better.

Rufus,

London UK,

2 hours ago

Why would gluten intolerance cause you to deposit calcium in your brain? Seriously there is no link between the two, he just happens to also be coeliac!

2 of 3 replies

Blenderx,

home, United States,

1 hour ago

Gluten intolerance is definitively linked to a great many problems throughout the body. Pay attention and you might learn something.

bwark,

honk,

25 minutes ago

You’re right that the DM has not explained this fully (or even bothered to research the link). I looked it up for you. Its pathogenesis has not been explored yet. Coeliac causes inflammation of intestines, which become so damaged they cannot absorb key nutrients such as folic acid. Hypoth is the lack of absorption of folic acid means calcium is excreted from existing bone more than it is absorbed, and this ‘spare’ calcium forms lumps. Helly’s comment makes no sense because, if the calcium was not absorbed by the intestine, it would just be passed out through faeces rather than being ‘dumped somewhere’ in the body. There is also Fahr’s disease, which causes calcium deps in the brain, but these tend to form on basal ganglia (not just at the occiput). Based on the pattern of deposits, this is almost certainly linked to coeliac dis.

Ian Poolton,

Smethwick UK,

2 hours ago

Do you people make these stories up?

Paul on the Fylde,

The Fylde, United Kingdom,

2 hours ago

This is Brazil, where the diet is different to ours. Gluten is added in far more quantities than years ago to bread and, having tried Gluten-free, which tastes and feels like dry powder on the tongue, the secret is don’t eat as much bread.

Blenderx,

home, United States,

1 hour ago

Those who are intolerant cannot have even the smallest amount of gluten, it will make them very sick.

the way it goes,

yes, United Kingdom,

2 hours ago

Stoned for ten years.

2 of 3 replies

Lynda25,

manchester, United Kingdom,

1 hour ago

It wasn’t funny the first time!

Nettle,

London, United Kingdom,

44 minutes ago

Glad to hear it’s not just me who cannot pass the DM gatekeepers with my comments.

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