It is Estimated That Up to 20 Million Americans May Be Suffering from Gluten Sensitivity, Gluten Intolerance or Celiac Disease.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease in which the small intestine becomes damaged, interfering with nutrient absorption leading to malnutrition and complications.
It runs in families with different degrees of severity from silent to severe. People who have Celiac disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats. Celiac disease causes flattening of the villi, leading to malabsorption of nutrients, leading to weight loss and weakness.
What are the symptoms of celiac disease?
Symptoms of celiac disease include abdominal pain, bloating and flatulence, bone and joint pain, diarrhea, nutrient deficiencies, weight loss, skin rashes, such as dermatitis-herpetiformis, leaky gut syndrome.
What is the cause of celiac disease?
Celiac disease is an inherited disorder and can be detected by genetic testing as well as small intestinal biopsy, blood tests such as tissue transglutaminase, IgA, endomysial IgG, gliadin IgA and IgG.
What is the proper treatment?
Patients with Celiac disease must avoid all grains containing gluten, such as wheat, rye, barley and corn.
What is gluten intolerance?
It sounds like Celiac disease and it feels like Celiac disease, but it is not. Physicians are now being advised to consider symptoms such as stomach bloating, fatigue, muscle and joint pains when diagnosing gluten sensitivity a relatively new condition on the spectrum of gluten-related disorders. The symptoms of gluten intolerance are often similar to those of celiac disease but less severe. This includes intestinal inflammation, which is characteristic in celiac disease with flattening of the villi of the small intestine, is absent.
What are the symptoms of gluten intolerance?
With gluten intolerance, there is often a prevalence of extraintestinal symptoms including behavioral changes, skin rash, bone and joint pain, muscle cramps, leg numbness and weight loss, foggy mind and fatigue. Typical gastrointestinal symptoms include abdominal bloating and gas.
Typically, the diagnosis is made by exclusion using a gluten-free diet. An estimated 20 million people suffer from gluten intolerance. Tests, which are characteristic for Celiac disease, are negative.
