Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease with many different symptoms and effects. (“Celiac Disease.” 2). People with celiac disease are very likely to have health problems when wheat, or gluten is eaten. (Davis, William 88). This disease is “…twice as common as Crohn’s disease, ulceric colitis and cystic fibrosis combined.” (“Center for Celiac” 1). People with celiac disease have a hard time digesting gluten so they have to be especially carful when eating almost anything. (Fennessey, Geri A. 2). Another name for celiac disease is coeliac disease or celiac spur. (“Celiac Disease” 1). Many people who have do not have a good understanding to celiac disease think that this disease is just and allergy to gluten, but celiac disease is an autoimmune
disease. (“What Is Celiac” 2). Because this disease is an autoimmune disease, it does not go away, it is a “…lifelong (chronic) condition…” that a person will not outgrow. (“Celiac Disease- What” 1). For people with celiac disease a “…tiny bit of gluten causes a severe immune response [as the body] tries to get rid of it.” (Fennessey, Geri A. 2). “Feed gluten to these people, and the lining of the small intestine, the delicate barrier separating incipient fecal matter from the rest of you, breaks down.” (Davis William 76). In a person without celiac disease there is something called villi which lines the intestine and absorbs nutrients for the body, but in a patient with celiac disease the villi flatten and are not able to absorb nutrients when gluten is consumed. (“Celiac Disease-What” 1). The intestine of a celiac patient becomes permeable and certain components of food can enter the bloodstream causing health problems. (Davis, William 82-83). So who has this disease? Researchers have said that one percent of the population has celiac disease. (Gholipour, Bahar 2). This one percent of the population equates to just over two million people across the world. (Davis, William 77). Amazingly eighty-three percent of people worldwide have celiac disease but don’t know it because their condition is either misdiagnosed or they have no symptoms. (“Celiac Disease: Fast” 1). This means that only one out of 144 people with celiac disease are properly diagnosed with the disease. (“Celiac Disease Causes” 1). Celiac disease is most commonly found in people of Northern European decent. (Gholipour, Bahar 3). This disease is also more commonly found in women than in men. (Loftus, Conner and Joseph A. Murray 1). “Individuals that have type one diabetes, thyroid disorders, or relatives with celiac disease are at greater risk of developing celiac disease.” (Loftus, Conner and Joseph A. Murray 1). Celiac disease was first discovered by a very observant man named Dr.
Dicke. (Davis, William 76). Dr. Dicke found this disease when “…food shortages toward the end of World War II, bread became scarce and Dicke witnessed improvements of celiac symptoms in children, only to witness deterioration when Swedish relief planes dropped bread into the Netherlands.” (Davis, William 76). “…Dr. Dicke…firmed that the gluten of wheat, barley, and rye was the source of the life-threatening struggles.” (Davis, William 76). As time progresses celiac disease is being seen more often because the disease is known, there is a greater exposure to gluten, mothers are breast feeding more often, better blood tests, more ways to diagnose, and earlier diagnoses. (Davis, William 78,
82). Celiac disease is “…triggered by ingesting a protein in wheat called gluten or eating similar proteins in rye and barley.” (Fasano, Alessio 2). If celiac disease is triggered by gluten, what is gluten? Gluten is “…storage proteins that are found in grains…” (“What Is Celiac” 2). Gluten can come in forms of wheat, rye, or barley. (Robinson, Jennifer 5). Gluten is often found in common foods like cereal, bread, pasta, ect. (“Celiac Disease” 1). Many people don’t realize that celiac patients have to be careful to avoid gluten in foods as well as in things like medicine, gum, toothpaste, and even lipstick. (Davis, William 91). Lucky for celiac patients gluten isn’t a necessity for a person’s health, it is just used as a preservative and a filler. (Fennessey, Geri 2). Researchers have found many different factors that could be causing celiac disease. Some say it could be a “…environmental substance that is presented to the body, a genetically based tendency of the immune system to overreact to the substance, and an unusually permeable gut.” (Fassano, Alessio 5). Others say it could be brought on by an external trigger like solids in a baby’s diet, puberty, surgery, pregnancy, stress, a virus, injury, or a bacterial infection. (“What Is Celiac” 2). In most all cases it has been found that celiac disease patients will have one of two genes: HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 (histocompatibility leukocyte antigens). (Fassano, Alessio 4). These are just two gene changes that could increase the risk of developing celiac. (“Celiac Diseases Causes” 1). Celiac disease is often difficult to diagnose because everyone reacts different and has different symptoms.
(Davis, William 77). Some of the common symptoms are chronic diarrhea/constipation, abdominal pain/bloating, fatigue, irritability, and in children growth problems. (“Learn about the” 2). Other not so common symptoms are osteoporosis, joint pain, short stature, skin lesions, epilepsy, dementia, schizophrenia, and seizure. (Fassano, Alessio 3). Because the villi flatten and are unable to absorb essential nutrients for the body, malnourishment is a common problem. (Robinson, Jennifer 2). “Some people have anemia and vitamin deficiencies because of mal-absorption. They don’t absorb all the nutrient because of the damage in the small bowel.” (Gholipour, Bahar 2). Seven to nine percent of celiac disease patients have acid reflux which is when stomach acid goes up the esophagus and dissolves it. (Davis, William 93). Celiac disease is sometimes mistaken as irritable bowel syndrome because of the common symptoms these two conditions share. (Loftus, Conner and Joseph A. Murray 2). Although this is true, around fifty-five percent of patients with celiac disease do have irritable bowel syndrome. (Davis, William 93). Irritable bowel syndrome is recognized by cramping, abdominal pain, and diarrhea or loose stools alternating with constipation. (Davis, William 93). Even though many people experience at least some symptoms, some patients have latent celiac disease which is when they
experience no symptoms but they still have the disease. (Davis, William 90). Latent celiac disease is dangerous to a person’s health because it could later cause serious problems such as neurological impairment, incontinence, dementia, or gastrointestinal cancer. (Davis, William 77).