- With Mayo Clinic rheumatologist
April Chang-Miller, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
April Chang-Miller, M.D.
April Chang-Miller, M.D.
Dr. April Chang-Miller is board certified in internal medicine and rheumatology and is a consultant in the Division of Rheumatology and Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
Dr. Chang-Miller's primary field is rheumatology with special interests in inflammatory joint diseases called seronegative spondyloarthropathies such as ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. She also cares for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica.
The New York City native is a graduate of the Yale University School of Medicine and had been with Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., between 1991 and 2002 when she relocated to Mayo Clinic, Arizona. She is a fellow in the American College of Rheumatology and has been on the board of directors of the Arthritis Foundation North Central Chapter.
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Question
Polymyositis: Can a gluten-free diet reduce symptoms?
Can a gluten-free diet help reduce signs and symptoms of polymyositis?
Answer
from April Chang-Miller, M.D.
If you have polymyositis — a rare connective tissue disease — you may be at increased risk of celiac disease. In such cases, a gluten-free diet can improve signs and symptoms of celiac disease. But there's no evidence that a gluten-free diet can improve signs and symptoms of polymyositis.
If you have polymyositis and have unexplained diarrhea, weight loss or persistent iron deficiency anemia, your doctor may recommend testing for celiac disease.
- Diseases associated with celiac sprue. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/130812752-3/827793483/1389/752.html#4-u1.0-B1-4160-0245-6..50106-2--cesec27_4725. Accessed April 10, 2009.
- Chang-Miller A (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz. April 10, 2009.
