What Is Celiac Disease?by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger 26 Jan 2007 05:40 PM A relatively recent acquaintance of mine took me out to lunch, and was very excited to see that we were near a P.F. Chang's restaurant -- because they offer a gluten free menu. My friend has celiac disease, also known as gluten-sensitive enteropathy, celiac sprue, or simply wheat allergy. The real culprit isn't wheat but the gluten -- proteins found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye. Celiac disease is actually an immune system disorder; when a person with celiac eats foods with glutens, the glutens cause damage to the lining of the small intestines. This damage makes it hard for the body to absorb nutrients like calcium, iron, and folate. Doctors don't know the exact cause of celiac disease, but you have a good chance of developing it if a parent or sibling has it. If you are genetically predisposed to have celiac disease, environmental factors and viral or bacterial infections can change your immune system, resulting in celiac disease. So what happens if a person with celiac disease eats something with gluten in it? Symptoms include gas, bloating, abnormal stool, fatigue, weakness, and vomiting. All these together can lead to dramatic weight loss. The intensity of the symptoms vary from one person to another; the more sensitive you are, the worse your symptoms may be. What actually causes the symptoms is the damage done to the small intestines by the glutens. Over the long term, celiac disease can contribute to osteoporosis and other bone problems because of decreased calcium absorption. It may also leave the person infertile or unable to menstruate; in children with celiac disease, the onset of puberty may be delayed. Irritability and depression, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and frequent respiratory infections can all develop as a result of celiac disease. The main treatment for celiac disease is excluding all foods that contain gluten from the diet. Even a small amount of gluten can cause serious (and uncomfortable) reactions. Approximately seventy percent of people find that a gluten-free diet improves things dramatically within two weeks. Celiac disease is sometimes confused with IBS, delaying a correct diagnosis. Not sure what that stomachache is? Try aromatherapy to ease the pain. Learn more about Aimee Amodio  Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover... Relevanthealth tags User Comments Mom97 (5) 11 Apr 2007 01:30 PMI just signed up after seeing a worrisome older post with misinformation about celiac disease. Your post is much better. My daughter and I are the 5th and 6th of 7th celiacs in our extended family. It is much more common than previously thought (recently cited as high as 1% pop.) Old myths are you grow out of it; it is now known you don't although it may takes a long time for external symptoms to be correctly diagnosed if you've been on the diet as a child (internal damage and higher risks of secondary diseases will exist.) Also DO NOT "try the diet" it may make diagnosis very difficult! Eat wheat etc. until you have the blood tests (and endoscope if necessary.) You may or not have the "typical" anemia or diahhrea, three biopsy-confirmed celiacs in my familiy tended to constipation instead. Many doctors continue to misinform and misdiagnose celiac disease. Average time to diagnosis in N.America for an adult after overt symptoms of poor health is 11 YEARS! I myself was told after many years of chronic fatigue etc. and a strong family history that I need not be tested. (All 3 blood tests were positive.) I was then told it did not mean I had it. (I was told I had "textbook" disease during endoscopy.) It took over a year of strong persistence, 2 rounds of weakly positive blood tests, and a 6 month gluten challenge to get my daughter diagnosed. PERSIST and insist "you'd feel better if you had the tests to rule it out." Don't be discouraged if you are diagnosed. KNowledge is power to get better. There are more glutenfree commercial products and support associations now than ever before. Your family recipes can be converted with some help such as the Canadian Celiac Association's anniversary cookbook which gives the conversion amounts for alternative flours. They also have cards for restaurant use to help you order safely. Best of luck to those of you who think this may help you!  Aimee Amodio (11995) 11 Apr 2007 04:06 PMThanks for sharing your experiences with celiac disease, Mom97. Unfortunately, the story of years of misdiagnosis doesn't seem to be a rare one -- a good friend of mine was only diagnosed five years ago and has had symptoms all his life (he's in his 30s). That cookbook sounds great, I'm going to go look for a copy for me (and one for my friend). Community Tags celiac, celiac disease, gluten allergy, wheat allergy Discuss this article
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