Celiac Disease: Symptoms, Treatment and Diet
July 11, 2022 | by Yashaswi Pathakamuri | Posted in Diseases
Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine. It is caused by an immune response to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.
A person with Celiac Disease cannot eat foods containing gluten without damaging the small intestine. When this happens, the individual’s body will not be able to absorb important nutrients from food.
A person with Celiac disease is a person who has an immune reaction to gluten. Repeated exposure to this protein will eventually cause inflammation in the small intestine which can lead to problems absorbing nutrients and minerals from food.
Celiac Disease can be diagnosed by a blood test or genetic test. Treatment includes avoiding foods containing gluten and taking a daily vitamin supplement.
There are two types of Celiac Disease:
1) Classical Celiac Disease which is when there are symptoms from childhood and
2) Non-classical Celiac Disease which includes symptoms that start later in life.
In this article, we will be discussing what is Celiac Disease and how Celiac Disease affects the small intestine and its ability to absorb nutrients.
Symptoms
The symptoms of celiac disease can range from mild to severe. The symptoms of Celiac Disease can vary from person to person. Some people may not have any noticeable symptoms while others may experience severe digestive problems or other complications like anemia or osteoporosis.
Celiac disease does not always present with symptoms. People may also not know that they have the disease until they develop a nutrient deficiency or anemia.
Celiac disease is a digestive disorder that affects the small intestine. The following are the main digestive symptoms of celiac disease:
- Abdominal pain
- Bloating
- Gas
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Pale stool with a foul smell
- Fatty stool that floats
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients. It can lead to malnutrition, weight loss, and other health problems.
Non-digestive symptoms of celiac disease are not related to digestion but can be a sign for celiac disease. They include:
- Bone or joint pain
- Depression
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Irritability
- Depression or anxiety
- Irritability or mood swings
- Skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis)
- Mouth ulcers (aphthous stomatitis)
- Weight loss or weight gain
- Muscle cramps and joint pain
- Iron deficiency anemia
- Numbness or tingling in hands or feet
People with celiac disease may have nutrient deficiencies because the condition affects the ability to absorb nutrients such as vitamins B12, Vitamin D, and vitamin K. In addition, a person can develop iron deficiency anemia because this condition also limits absorption of iron.
Celiac disease can be triggered by a range of health issues such as surgery, pregnancy, or stress.
Symptoms in children
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where the body’s immune system reacts to gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains.
Symptoms of Celiac Disease in children include:
- Constipation
- Weight loss
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Anemia
- poor growth/height for age
- Failure to thrive, in infants
- Damaged tooth enamel
- Mood changes, including impatience or annoyance
- Late-onset puberty
Children diagnosed with celiac disease might experience spontaneous remission, and their symptoms may not start showing again until they grow up.
Switching to a gluten-free diet can prevent many gastro intestinal (GI) issues if done early. Intestinal damage can heal within weeks of removing gluten from the diet.
Diagnosis
Celiac Disease can be diagnosed with a blood test or intestinal biopsy. It can also be diagnosed with an endoscopy or by removing gluten from the diet for at least six weeks.
The treatment for celiac disease is removing gluten from the diet and following up with a doctor regularly.
Celiac Disease is diagnosed by a blood test and an intestinal biopsy. The blood test detects antibodies to gluten in the person’s blood. The intestinal biopsy analyses the lining of the small intestine for damage that indicates Celiac Disease.
These are the most common ways to test for celiac disease:
- Blood test: A blood test will look for antibodies that incorrectly interact with the gluten protein. The most common test is a tTG-IgA test.
- Intestinal Biopsy: People with a positive blood test will likely need to have a biopsy. This is a process in which a small tissue sample is taken from your intestine and checked for damage.
It’s best to get tested for celiac disease before trying a gluten-free diet. Otherwise, it will become hard for your doctor to tell if you have celiac disease or not.
Diet
The diet for celiac is a gluten-free diet. This means that all the food that are consumed should be gluten-free. One of the most important thing to keep in mind is to not consume any type of wheat, barley, rye or oats.
This also means that there are many types of food that cannot be consumed. These include:
- Breads and other baked goods, pasta and noodles
- Breakfast cereals and oatmeal
- Beer or any other alcoholic beverage made with barley or wheat
- Many processed foods like hot dogs and lunch meats (unless they are labeled gluten-free)
- Soy sauce (unless it is specifically labeled as gluten-free)
- Seasonings like bouillon cubes or powdered soup mixes (unless they are specifically labeled as gluten-free)
Celiac Disease in children is different from Celiac Disease in adults because children are not as aware of what they should be eating to maintain a healthy diet. They are more susceptible to all the food allergies that are out there and so it is important for parents to be vigilant about what their children eat.
In children, the small intestine usually heals in 3-6 months. In adults, full healing can take several years. Once the intestine heals, the body is able to absorb nutrients from food again.
A celiac disease diet for children should include these things:
- Gluten-free grains such as rice, corn, millet, buckwheat and quinoa
- Dairy substitutes such as soy milk or almond milk
Treatment
Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food.
The treatment for celiac disease includes a strict, gluten-free diet, which is difficult to maintain. Some people may take medications to help reduce the symptoms of celiac disease and prevent intestinal damage. There are also various surgical treatments that can be done in extreme cases.
Treatment for celiac disease has been on the forefront of research for decades, but there has been no cure found so far. However, recent studies have shown promising results with some drugs and new treatments.
Recently, researchers have found that using fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) could be an effective treatment for celiac disease. FMT involves transferring stool from a healthy person into the digestive tract of another person with gastrointestinal issues.
Symptoms
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing nutrients. It is a lifelong condition. The signs and symptoms of celiac disease come from the body attacking itself when gluten is present in the digestive tract.
The symptoms of celiac disease are not always obvious and may be easy to miss. They can change over time and vary from person to person.
There is no known cure for celiac disease, but the symptoms can be relieved or eased by switching to a gluten-free diet.