Celiac disease is a genetic disorder that affects at least 1 in 111 Americans. Symptoms of celiac disease can range from the classic features, such as diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition, to latent symptoms such as isolated nutrient deficiencies but no gastrointestinal symptoms. The disease mostly affects people of European (especially Northern European) descent, but recent studies show that it also affects Hispanic, Black and Asian populations as well. Those affected suffer damage to the villi (shortening and villous flattening) in the lamina propria and crypt regions of their intestines when they eat specific food-grain antigens (toxic amino acid sequences) that are found in wheat, rye, and barley. Oats have traditionally been considered to be toxic to celiacs, but recent scientific studies have shown otherwise. This research is ongoing, however, and it may be too early to draw solid conclusions.
Because of the broad range of symptoms celiac disease presents, it can be difficult to diagnose. The symptoms can range from mild weakness, bone pain, and aphthous stomatitis to chronic diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and progressive weight loss. If a person with the disorder continues to eat gluten, studies have shown that he or she will increase their chances of gastrointestinal cancer by a factor of 40 to 100 times that of the normal population. Further, gastrointestinal carcinoma or lymphoma develops in up to 15 percent of patients with untreated or refractory celiac disease. It is therefore imperative that the disease is quickly and properly diagnosed so it can be treated as soon as possible. Information provided by Celiac.com.
Here is a guide to help learn about what the signs and symptoms of a gluten allergy:
- Upper repository tract problems
- Fatigue
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Chest Pains
- Muscle Cramps
- Dizziness
- Shakiness
- Headaches
- Migraines
- Mouth ulcers
- Anaemia
- Iron-deficiency
- Anaemia (resulting in cuts not healing quickly)
- Osteoporosis
- Weight loss
- Short stature in children
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Abdominal bloating
- Crohn’s disease
- Diverticulitis
- Depression
- Attention and behavioral problems (in children and adults)
- Autism
- Skin problems
- Asthma
- Irritability
Self Testing
- Create a food journal for one week with your regular diet. Write down everything you eat and at what time you eat it. Log your symptoms and how you feel throughout the day.
- Week 2, 3 and 4 continue your food journal but extract everything in your diet with gluten out. See our easy gluten free eating guide to help you. Write down everything you eat and how you feel throughout the day. Document progress, symptoms and reactions (physical and mental)
- At the end of week 4 assess how you are feeling and determine if the symptoms that caused you to test for a gluten allergy have been reduced or eliminated.
- If symptoms have been reduced but have not completely disappeared assess the items that you are eating and check if they are 100% gluten free. Milk allergies are also common in those who have a gluten allergy due to the similarities of the protein found in milk. A consideration of extracting milk out of your diet along with gluten is also an option.
Common Traits
Though Celiac can be found in anyone those who have the following have a higher tendency to have the disease:
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Autoimmune Thyroid Disease
- Down Syndrome
- Microscopic colitis
Complications/Risks
Those who have Celiac Disease have the risk of malnutrition, loss of calcium and bone density (resulting in osteoporosis), lactose intolerance, cancer (intestinal lymphoma & bowel cancer) and neurological complications including seizures and nerve damage.
Testing
Tests and procedures used to diagnose celiac disease include:
- Blood tests
Blood tests can detect higher than normal levels of certain antibodies (anti-endomysium and anti-tissue transglutaminase) in people with celiac disease. Antibodies are specialized proteins that are part of your immune system and work to eliminate foreign substances in your body. In people with celiac disease, their immune systems may be recognizing gluten as a foreign substance and producing elevated levels of antibodies to get rid of it. - Collecting a sample of small intestine for testingTo confirm the diagnosis, your doctor may want to examine a small portion of intestinal tissue to check for damage to the villi. To do this, your doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) through your mouth, esophagus and stomach into your small intestine and takes a sample of intestinal tissue to examine under a microscope.
- Swallowing a camera pill that collects pictures of the small intestineIn some cases your doctor may want to examine the entire small intestine with a capsule endoscopy. This procedure involves swallowing a pill-sized capsule that contains a tiny camera. As the camera travels through your digestive tract, it takes thousands of images and sends them to a recorder you wear on a belt. Your doctor reviews the pictures to see the inside of your small intestine. The capsule leaves your body in your stool and can be flushed down the toilet.
Some people try a gluten-free diet on their own, to see if that helps relieve their signs and symptoms. But doing so may change the results of blood tests so that they appear to be normal. So see your doctor for testing first, before you try a gluten-free diet. Information about testing for Celiac Disease provided by MayoClinic.com.
