What Is Celiac Disease?

(Sunday, May 01, 2005) - Celiac disease is a disorder that causes problems in your intestines when you eat gluten, which is in wheat, rye, barley and oats. Gluten is like a poison to people with Celiac disease because it damages their intestines.

What does gluten do to people with celiac disease?
Gluten damages the intestines. This damage keeps your body from taking in many of the nutrients in the food you eat. This includes vitamins, calcium, protein, carbohydrates, fats and other important nutrients. Your body cannot work well without these nutrients.

How do you get celiac disease?
Celiac disease runs in the family. You inherit the tendency to acquire this disease from your parents. For example, if one member of your family has celiac disease, one in ten other family members is likely to have it. You may have celiac disease for a while without getting sick, then something like severe stress, physical injury, infection, childbirth or surgery can turn on your celiac disease.

What happens to people with celiac disease?
Celiac disease can cause different problems at different times:
An infant with celiac disease may have abdominal pain and diarrhea (even bloody diarrhea), and may fail to grow and gain weight.

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> A young child may have abdominal pain with nausea and lack of appetite anemia (not enough iron in the blood), mouth sores and allergic dermatitis (skin rash).
> A child could be irritable, fretful, emotionally withdrawn or excessively dependent.
> In later stages, a child may become malnourished, with or without vomiting and diarrhea. This would cause the child to have a large tummy, thin thigh muscles and flat buttocks.
> Teenagers may hit puberty late and be short. Celiac disease might cause some hair loss (a condition called alopecia areata).
What happens in adults with celiac disease?
Adults who begin to become ill with celiac disease might have a general feeling of poor health, with fatigue, irritability and depression, even if they have few intestinal problems. One serious illness that often occurs is osteoporosis (loss of calcium from the bones). A symptom of osteoporosis might be nighttime bone pain. About 5 percent of adults with celiac disease have anemia. Lactose intolerance (problem with foods like milk) is common in patients of all ages with celiac disease. It usually disappears when they follow a gluten-free diet.

Celiac disease sounds really serious! How can it be controlled?
Celiac disease is serious. Fortunately you can easily control celiac disease by not eating any gluten. By following the right diet, you can reverse the damage caused by celiac disease and youll feel better. But if you cheat on your diet, the damage will come back, even if you dont feel sick right away.

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Youll have to explain your problem and the gluten-free diet to you family member and ask for their support and help. It will take time for you and your family to learn how to avoid gluten in your diet. You can contact a celiac support group. These groups are excellent sources of information and advice. Theyll help you find gluten-free foods and good recipes, and give you tips for successfully living with celiac disease.
How can I be sure I have celiac disease?
New blood tests can help your doctor diagnose this disease. Its necessary to have these blood tests before you start a gluten-free diet. If you have dermatitis herpetiformis, an itchy, blistery skin problem, you have celiac disease. The diagnosis can be confirmed with a biopsy (taking a piece of tissue using a thin tube that is put into your intestines). The best confirmation is when your symptoms dissipate when following a strict gluten-free diet.

For more information on gluten-free products, contact the Water To Go Diet & Nutrition Center in your area.
Dr. Dora Mamodesene is a Water To Go Diet & NutritionCenter owner in Rockville, Maryland.

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