John F. Kennedy very likely had celiac disease

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source - _http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/john-fkennedy-very-likely-had-celiac-disease-says-medical-expert 25 May 2017

Some interesting theories about why they think he was a celiac, and connections to the Irish heritage.

Dr. Peter Green, a Professor of Clinical Medicine, Director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, suspects that JFK was the victim of celiac disease an undiagnosed disease common to the Irish.

Green recently wrote in History News Network that Kennedy’s Irish heritage may have played a part in the disease, noting that it is more highly associated with Irish than many other races. The article was later picked up by our sister publication Irish America Magazine.

Green wrote, “John F. Kennedy’s long-standing medical problems started in childhood. In Kennedy’s adolescence, gastrointestinal symptoms, weight and growth problems, as well as fatigue, were described. Later in life, he suffered from abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, osteoporosis, migraine and Addison’s disease. Chronic back problems, due to osteoporosis, resulted in several operations and required medications for chronic pain.

As to the Irish connection, Green says Kennedy may well have been more susceptible because of his heritage.

“Celiac disease was formerly considered a rare disease of childhood. It is now recognized as being very common in those of European descent, one of the most common genetically determined conditions physicians will encounter. Recent studies have demonstrated the country with the greatest prevalence to be Ireland.

In Belfast, one in every 122 have the illness. The prominent familial association of the disease indicated by the occurrence in one of ten first degree relatives and in 80 percent of identical twins points to a genetic component of the disease. However, the actual genes responsible for the disease have not been discovered, though many groups are working on the problem. It is known that there is a strong association with specific HLA genes that are required for the disease to occur but are themselves not sufficient for the disease to be manifested.