What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is a condition in which the body can’t process gluten correctly. This disease is also sometimes referred to as a gluten intolerance, and the disease is actually an autoimmune response.
Almost anyone can have celiac disease, but there are some factors that play a role in who has this disorder and who doesn’t. First of all, it’s believed that genetics play a strong role in the condition, but there are also some environmental factors that might make some people more prone to this disease.
When a person has a gluten intolerance, the gluten damages the villi, which are hair-like projections in the gut that absorb nutrients. Without villi, the stomach is not able to absorb enough nutrients to care for the body.
Some people also wonder if infant feeding practices and gut bacteria might play a role. Researchers have also noticed that celiac disease symptoms sometimes first appear during or after pregnancy in the mother, surgery, viral infection, and severe emotional distress.
Other risk factors for developing celiac disease include Down’s syndrome, Turner’s syndrome, Addison’s disease, type 1 diabetes, microscopic colitis, an autoimmune thyroid disease, or having a family member that either has celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis.
When a person is diagnosed with celiac disease, it’s of utmost importance that they eliminate all gluten from their diet. That’s why some people go to support groups. And people will need support from family and friends, especially if they live with a person with celiac disease.
Symptoms of Celiac Disease
The exact symptoms that people experience tend to be somewhat dependent on the age of the person with the disease. For instance, adults tend to exhibit symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and constipation.
But there are some adults that experience symptoms that are completely unrelated to the digestive system. For instance, some people will experience anemia, loss of bone density and bone softening, blistery and itchy skin rashes, headaches and fatigue, mouth ulcers, headache and fatigue, joint pain, reduced spleen functioning, and nervous system impairment, which leads to problems with balance, tingling in the hands and feet, and possibly cognitive impairment.
Children are more likely than adults to experience a range of symptoms that involve the digestive system. Some of them are very similar to the experiences of adults, but a few of them tend to be more common in children. Additionally, children are likely to experience certain types of complications because they’re not absorbing the nutrients.
Nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, gas, and bloating are all common symptoms in children, but some children might also have pale stools that are particularly foul smelling.
Children will often experience weight loss, anemia, irritability, damage to tooth enamel, delayed puberty, short stature, and neurological conditions, such as ADHD, learning disabilities, headaches, lack of muscle coordination, and seizures. Additionally, infants might experience failure to thrive.
Treatment for Celiac Disease
The majority of the treatment will consist of changing the diet so that gluten is no longer consumed by the patient. Some of the foods that will need to be cut out include wheat, barley, bulgur, durum, farina, graham flour, malt, rye, spelt, and semolina.
In addition to obvious sources of gluten, people with gluten need to be aware that gluten is in less obvious sources of food and non-food products. For instance, lay dough, lipsticks, toothpaste, mouthwash, communion wafers, envelope and stamp glue, vitamin and mineral supplements, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, and some types of modified food starches, food preservatives, and food stabilizers can also contain gluten.
Removing all forms of gluten from the diet is extremely important because even small amounts can be harmful even if there aren’t any symptoms present.
Some people might also be more prone to anemia and other mineral deficiencies, and there are some things that people can do to help get themselves the nutrition that they need. For instance, some people might need to take iron, copper, folate, B12, vitamin D, vitamin K, and zinc.
Some foods that are approved for people with celiac disease to eat include corn, eggs, fruits, lentils, nuts, potatoes, vegetables, and most dairy products. More specifically, grains and starches that are approved include cornmeal, rice, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, and gluten-free flours.
There are also people who will need to take some forms of medication to control inflammation while the intestines heal. For instance, some people might have to take steroids if their small intestines are particularly damaged or they have refractory celiac disease. Finally, some people might have to take a medication to control dermatitis herpetiformis.
