Celiac Disease

What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease of the digestive system.  It is triggered by the consumption of a protein called gluten.  Gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye. 

When a person with celiac disease eats foods containing gluten, their immune system responds by attacking and damaging the villi in the small intestine.  When the villi become damaged, the body is left unable to absorb nutrients into the bloodstream, which can lead to malnourishment.  Currently it is believed that about 3 million Americans have celiac disease, but only about 5% of them are diagnosed.

Symptoms of Celiac

The most common symptoms of celiac disease are:
Bloating or Gas
Diarrhea
Constipation
Itchy Skin and/or Rash
Delayed Growth
Headaches
Tingling or Numbness
Poor Weight Gain
Depression
Fatigue
Joint Pain
Irritability
Infertility

 

Celiac Diagnosis and Treatment

 

Diagnosing celiac disease can be difficult because a lot of the symptoms mimic those of other diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Crohn's disease, intestinal infections, lactose intolerance and even depression.

 

If you suspect that you have celiac disease, blood tests are the first step.  A doctor will order one or more of a very specific set of tests to measure your body's reaction to gluten.  If you plan on being tested for celiac disease it is extremely important that you DO NOT start a gluten free diet prior to testing.  This can give you a negative result, as you need to be eating gluten to measure your bodies reaction to it.

 

Currently, the only treatment for Celiac Disease is a life long adherence to a gluten free diet.