Celiac Disease
What is Celiac Disease ?
Celiac disease is an illness caused by an immune reaction to eating gluten. Gluten is a protein found in foods containing wheat, barley or rye. If you have celiac disease, eating gluten triggers an immune response to the gluten protein in your small intestine. Over time, this reaction damages your small intestine’s lining and prevents it from absorbing nutrients, a condition called malabsorption.
The intestinal damage often causes symptoms such as diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, bloating or anemia. It also can lead to serious complications if it is not managed or treated. In children, malabsorption can affect growth and development in addition to gastrointestinal symptoms. There’s no definite cure for celiac disease. But for most people, following a strict gluten-free diet can help manage symptoms and help the intestines heal.
Symptoms
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Bloating and gas
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea and vomiting
- Constipation
- Anemia
- Mouth ulcers
- Joint pain
Cause
Your genes, combined with eating foods with gluten and other factors, can contribute to celiac disease. However, the precise cause isn’t known. Infant-feeding practices, gastrointestinal infections and gut bacteria may contribute, but these causes have not been proved. Sometimes celiac disease becomes active after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection or severe emotional stress. When the body’s immune system overreacts to gluten in food, the reaction damages the tiny, hairlike projections, called villi, that line the small intestine. Villi absorb vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from the food you eat. If your villi are damaged, you can’t get enough nutrients, no matter how much you eat.
Risk Factors
Celiac disease tends to be more common in people who have a family member with celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis. Type 1 diabetes. Down syndrome, William syndrome or Turner syndrome. Autoimmune thyroid disease. Microscopic colitis. Addison’s disease.
When to see a Doctor
Consult your doctor if you have diarrhea or digestive discomfort that lasts for more than two weeks. Consult your child’s doctor if your child is pale, irritable or failing to grow or has a potbelly and foul-smelling, bulky stools.