What is celiac disease?
Celiac disease, also known as gluten-sensitive enteropathy or celiac sprue, involves an abnormal autoimmune reaction to gluten and is an autoimmune disorder. It is estimated that every 1 in 141 Americans have celiac disease. Gluten can be found in foods that contain wheat, rye, barley, and triticale ingredients. It can also be found in certain vitamins, beauty products, and medicines. While a gluten intolerance prevents the body from being able to digest or break down gluten, celiac disease causes an immune response that can harm the villi in the small intestine by creating toxins. If the villi become damaged, it can lead to issues with malnutrition and, in severe cases, permanent intestinal damage. It is crucial to the health of those with celiac disease that they eliminate gluten from their diet.
What are the symptoms of celiac disease?
Symptoms of celiac disease are often related to the digestive system, particularly the small intestine. However, other parts of the body can also be affected. Children with celiac disease may be smaller than average and have delayed puberty. They may also experience the symptoms of weight loss, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and abdominal bloating. In addition, they may also have fatty, pale, and especially smelly stools. Adults with the disease can experience symptoms such as iron-deficiency anemia, joint pain or stiffness, pale mouth sores, tooth discoloration, loss of tooth enamel, skin disorders, tingling or numbness in the feet and hands, seizures, weak or brittle bones, and fatigue. Women with celiac disease may also experience infertility, miscarriages, or irregular menstrual periods. Patients may also experience dermatitis herpetiformis, an itchy skin rash with bumps and blisters.
Can celiac disease cause health problems if not treated?
Complications of celiac disease can significantly affect a patient’s health. They include neurological problems, infertility, anemia, and vitamin deficiencies. The disease can also be relayed to other autoimmune conditions, and those with celiac disease have a higher risk of developing a concurrent disorder related to the immune system. Patients should talk to their doctor if they are having any symptoms of other autoimmune disorders. They may also want to talk to their doctor about what foods they should avoid to prevent further damage to the digestive system. Patients may need to be tested for certain vitamin deficiencies if they suffer from malnutrition due to malabsorption. If celiac disease runs in a patient’s family, they should ask their doctor if they should be tested for the condition.
To diagnose celiac disease, a doctor may order certain blood tests such as a complete blood count, liver function test, cholesterol test, serum albumin test, and alkaline phosphatase level test. Those with celiac often have high levels of anti-tissue transglutaminase or anti-endomysium antibodies. Blood tests are often more reliable when gluten is still included in the patient’s diet. Patients may also undergo an upper endoscopy if other tests are inconclusive. Those with dermatitis herpetiformis may also have skin biopsies taken. In order to treat celiac disease, patients will need to completely remove gluten from their diet. This will allow the body to be able to absorb nutrients properly. A doctor can advise patients on how to read food labels in order to avoid gluten. Symptoms of celiac disease usually improve quickly after gluten is eliminated from the diet.