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Celiac Disease is an intestinal disorder that is instituted by an allergic reaction to the ingestion of gluten. Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, oats, barley, rye and any derivative of these grains. Common food products like bread, pasta, bagels, crackers, cakes and cookies all contain gluten.
Through the process of digestion, our food makes its way to the intestine where it will be further digested and then absorbed into the body. The intestine is lined with little finger like things called villi. Imagine a rubber tube lined with a shag rug...that is what the villi look like. The villi is the site where our food is directly absorbed into our body. The villi remove the valuable parts of our food, like vitamins, minerals, protein, fat and sugar and pass them into our blood stream so that our body can use them to grow healthy, strong and active.
If a person with Celiac Disease eats anything with gluten it will destroy the villi in the intestine and then the body will not be able to adequately absorb the essential nutrients. The intestine will not function properly and this break down can lead to further complications in the undiagnosed Celiac.
This disease is difficult to diagnose because it mimics other more common illnesses.
Some related illnesses are:
1. Anemia
2. IBS
3. Psychological stress, nerves, imagination
4. Diarrhea
5. IBD
6. Diabetes
7. Spastic Colon
8. Ulcers
9. Virus (Viral Gastroenteritis)
10. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
11. Weight-loss
12. Allergies
13. Amoeba, Parasites, Infection
14. Gallbladder Disease
15. Thyroid Disease
16. Cancer, Lymphoma, Digestive
17. Colitis
18. Cystic Fibrosis
19. Lactose Intolerance
20. Reflux
Once a diagnosis of Celiac Disease is made, a person can begin their road to wellness by following a strict gluten-free diet. This illness is completely controlled with diet but adherence is critical. Gluten is everywhere, probably in things you would never think of or even believe: things like toothpaste, postal stamps, lip-gloss, and gum. Even items that appear gluten-free may have been contaminated in the manufacturing plant, where they might have come in contact with gluten containing items. These products put Celiacs at risk for illness. It is difficult to be 100% gluten-free but if a Celiac wants to be healthy then going the extra mile is part of the deal.
Diseases Which Resemble Celiac Disease
Bacterial overgrowth syndromes
Intestinal Diverticulosis
Common variable hypogammaglobulinemia Ischemic Bowel
Cow milk allergy (in kids)
Lactose Intolerance
Crohn's disease
Pancreatic failure
Effects of some drugs
Protein Losing Enteropathy (Lymphangiectasia)
Giardiasis
Pseudoobstruction
Hemochromatosis
Rare congenital defects in the mucosa
HIV enteropathy
Scleroderma of the small intestine
IgA def
Whipple's disease
Related Disorders
Addison's disease
Graves' disease
ADHD
Hypothyroidism
Attention Deficit Disorder
Inflammatory Bowel Disease*
Autism
Kidney Disease
Bird Fancieris Lung*
Mental Problems
Cancer
Multiple Sclerosis
Cerebellar Atrophy
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Chronic active hepatitis
Myasthenia Gravis
Chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME, PVS, post viral fatigue syndrome or PVFS)
Nerve Disease
Osteomalacia and Osteoporosis
Collagenous Colitis*
Peripheral Neuropathy
Dermatitis Herpetiformis
Pernicious Anemia*
Diabetes
Primary Biliary Cirrhosis*
Down Syndrome
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Encephalopathy
Sarcoidosis
Epilepsy
Scleroderma
Esophageal and Pharyngeal Squamous Carcinoma
Sjogrens Syndrome
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency*
Small-Intestinal Adenocarcinomas
Farmer's Lung*
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Gall Bladder Disease
Thyrotoxicosis
Gastroparesis Vasculitis
* = Probable Association with Celiac Disease
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These would be the tests you would ask your physician to give a requisition for ...they are screening tests, if they are positive then a small bowel biopsy (scope) is necessary.
Anti-endomysial
Anti-gliadin
Anti-reticulin
TTG Tissue TransGlutaminase
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