Before we look at how you can get celiac, here is some background to the disorder:
Research findings show that 1 in 141 Americans suffer from celiac disease, but most of them are not aware. The disease affects children and adults the world over, but is more prevalent in Caucasians and females.
Your immune system is designed to protect your body from foreign invaders. However, for people with celiac disease, their immune system forms antibodies when they eat foods containing gluten.
The intestines become inflamed, damaging the villi. Because the villi are responsible for absorbing nutrients …show more content…
from food, they become unable to play this crucial role properly. This means that your body cannot absorb enough nutrients, leading to malnutrition.
How do you get celiac disease?
It is not known how people get celiac disease. However, there are factors that can make you more prone to it. Let us delve more into them:
Consuming gluten
An increase in cases of celiac disease is often blamed on the increase in consumption of gluten, for instance in processed foods and wheat.
Almost everybody with celiac disease has either one or two versions of a cellular receptor known as the human leukocyte antigen (H.L.A.) Scientists are of the opinion that these receptors increase the carriers’ immune reaction to gluten.
Genetics
Celiac disease is also known to run in families. It has been established that in 50 % of the people who suffer from celiac, a family member is also found to have the disease upon being screened. You have higher chances of developing celiac if a close relative, for instance a sibling or parent has it. If you have a family history, your risk of getting celiac is 10%. If you have an identical twin with celiac, you are at a risk of 75%.
Your chances of developing this disorder increase when your genes have variants or changes. It is an established fact that certain gene variants and exposure to things in your environment, can result in this disorder. Celiac disease is also prevalent among people with certain genetic conditions, such as Turner and Down syndrome.
Body changes
Celiac disease is also known to be triggered by pregnancy, surgery, severe emotional stress, child birth, or a viral
infection.
Some disorders and conditions
Celiac disease is also triggered by conditions like type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disease and Sjogren’s syndrome.
Environmental factors
As aforementioned, environmental factors can cause celiac. They may not necessarily result from a gene mutation though. Sometimes, it could be as simple as an infection in the digestive system, for instance a rotavirus infection during childhood.
Research shows that introducing gluten into a child’s diet before they are 3 months old could make the child more susceptible to celiac. Wait until your baby is six months old before you introduce him or her to gluten.
If you are not breastfeeding your baby at the point of introducing gluten, then you are making them more prone to celiac disease.
Conclusion
How do you get celiac disease? Well, you now know: check your genetics and diet; ask your mom, or visit a doctor if you have other medical conditions.