Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that tends to be inherited as it runs in families. When someone with celiac disease eats food containing gluten, their body responds with an immune reaction and the villi of the small intestines are damaged. There is no cure for celiac disease. It is also quite prevalent as it occurs in approximately 1 in 133 people in America.
There are many symptoms that are associated with celiac disease. A person may have one or several of the symptoms. Sometimes the symptoms are so subtle that a person lives with it for years until one of the symptoms develops more severely later in life. Another problem with the symptoms of celiac disease is that they can be confused with a variety of other diseases including irritable bowel syndrome. Some of the more common symptoms can include loose stool, weight loss or gain, abdominal pain, cramping, anemia, malnutrition and many more.
How is celiac diseases detected?
Since the symptoms of celiac disease resemble many other conditions, it often is misdiagnosed. To diagnose celiac disease, doctors run blood tests for high levels of anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGA) or anti-endomysium antibodies (EMA). If the results come up negative but you still suspect celiac disease, it may be necessary to do an intestinal biopsy. The biopsy is the removal of tissue from the small intestine to check for damage to the villi.
How to treat celiac disease
While the symptoms of celiac disease are serious and there is no cure, it is possible to live a long and healthy life by following a gluten-free diet.
