search slide
search slide
pages bottom

What You Need to Know About Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is one of the most misunderstood conditions, because it is often confused with food allergies, food intolerance or just being picky with food. But this autoimmune disease which affects 1 out of 100 people worldwide is a serious condition that damages the small intestine.

Causes of Celiac Disease

Most people with this condition are undiagnosed and later suffer from other medical conditions, such as intestinal lymphomas and gastrointestinal cancers, nervous system disorders, lactose intolerance, vitamin or mineral deficiencies, and gall bladder malfunction. Studies are still ongoing to determine the cause of the disease, but most doctors point to the genes as a determining factor.

When an individual with celiac disease eats food with gluten, the immune system will react by damaging the villi of the small intestine to prevent the absorption of the nutrients. Celiac, sometimes spelled coeliac, comes from the Greek word “koiliakos,” which means the “suffering in the bowels.”

Symptoms of Celiac Disease

There are over 300 symptoms of celiac disease which can vary among individuals, because these are determined by several factors, such as; the duration of breastfeeding as an infant, amount of gluten consumed and when the person started eating gluten, the age of the person, and the damage to the small intestine.

The most common symptoms include digestive problems such as diarrhea or constipation, bloating, and stomach pain. It is also often accompanied with joint pain. Children with this condition often have delayed puberty, damaged teeth enamel, slow growth, and short stature. The following symptoms might also be present: bone or joint pain, infertility, irregular periods, mouth problems, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, headaches, anxiety or depression, fatigue, and skin problems.

Diagnosis of Celiac Disease

Some of the symptoms of the disease are similar to signs of other medical conditions, so these must be eliminated through physical exams, dental exam, blood tests, intestinal and skin biopsy, and genetic tests. The blood tests will look for celiac disease antibodies, while the genetic test will check for the gene variants or changes that are linked to the disease.

The biopsies will remove samples from the small intestine and skin tissues to check for antibodies. These are necessary because it’s also possible to have other conditions related to the gastrointestinal tract such as irritable bowel syndrome, small intestine bacterial growth, microscopic colitis, lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, and pancreatic dysfunction.

Treatment of Celiac Disease

There is no cure for celiac disease yet, so doctors will recommend a gluten-free diet for the patient. Food made from wheat, barley, rye, and other variants and related species should be avoided to reduce the symptoms and to avoid further damages to the small intestine.

Other hidden sources of gluten such as malt flavoring, preservatives, stabilizers, and modified food starch should also be avoided. Moreover, you will also need to avoid non-food items and medication that possibly contain gluten, so you should never take medication, vitamins, supplements, and herbal products unless prescribed by a doctor.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *