Celiac Disease Symptoms

What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease is related with digestive system that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from the food. Those people suffering from celiac disease can not tolerate protein called as gluten which is found in rye, wheat and the barley. Mainly gluten is found in foods but also available in the regular eating products such as envelope adhesive ad stamp, vitamins and medicines.

When people having celiac disease eat products or foods which contains gluten and that gluten affects on immune system of the body and damages the small intestine. The tiny or fingerlike projections coating the small intestine are destroyed or damaged.

Since immune system of the body causes the damage, celiac disease is considered as autoimmune disorder. This is also called as disease of malabsorption, since the nutrients aren't absorbed. Other names of celiac disease are nontropical sprue, celiac sprue, and the gluten-sensitive enteropathy.

This is a genetic disease therefore it runs in the families. This disease is diagnosed for first time after pregnancy, surgery, childbirth, emotional tress or the viral infection.

Causes of Celiac Disease:

It is mostly occurs in whites of Northern European ancestry and rarely occur in Asia and Africa.

When intestinal damage is unknown then removing of gluten from the diet causes the celiac disease symptoms and intestinal healing in many of the patients. Gluten refers to protein component of the grains such as rye, wheat, barley, and the oats.

Celiac Disease Symptoms:

Celiac disease affects on the people differently. Celiac disease symptoms occur in the digestive system of the body or in other parts of the body. Celiac disease symptoms include the flowing:

Gas
Chronic diarrhea
Recurring abdominal bloating and pain
Constipation
Fatigue
Pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool
Weight loss/weight gain
Bone or joint pain
Unexplained anemia (a low count of red blood cells causing fatigue)
Osteoporosis, osteopenia
Seizures
Tingling numbness in the legs (from nerve damage)
Behavioral changes
Muscle cramps
Missed menstrual periods (often because of excessive weight loss)
Delayed growth
Infertility, recurrent miscarriage
Pale sores inside the mouth, called aphthous ulcers
Failure to thrive in infants
Itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis
Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel

A person suffering from celiac disease may not have any symptoms. Those people do not having any celiac disease symptoms are still at the high risk for the complications of disease, including malnutrition. When the person goes undiagnosed and untreated then increases chance of developing the malnutrition and other type of complications. Delayed growth, anemia, and loss of weight are signs of the malnutrition. Malnutrition is very dangerous for the children because they required adequate nutrition for developing properly.

Diagnosis of celiac disease:

Diagnosing the celiac disease is very difficult because celiac disease symptoms are similar to that of other diseases. Celiac disease is confusing with other diseases such as iron deficiency anemia occurred because of menstrual blood loss, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, intestinal infections, diverticulitis, and the chronic fatigue syndrome. The result of all these is misdiagnosed or under diagnosed.

Researchers recently discovered that people suffering from celiac disease have higher antibodies in their blood. These antibodies protects from proteins produced by immune system in response to the substances that body perceives to be threatening. Autoantibodies are the proteins which respond against the tissues or molecules of the body. For diagnosing the celiac disease, physicians generally test the blood for measuring the levels of:

Anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTGA)
Immunoglobulin A (IgA)
IgA anti-endomysium antibodies (AEA)

Before testing, everyone should continue the regular food with the gluten such as pastas and breads. If person stop to eat gluten containing food before the test that results negative for celiac disease even if that disease is really present. If symptoms and tests suggest the celiac disease, doctor prefers a small bowel biopsy. At the time of biopsy, tiny pieces of the tissues remove from the small intestine for checking damage to the villi. For obtaining the sample of the tissue, doctor inserts the endoscope (thin tube) in to small intestine through the mouse and stomach.

Treatment for celiac disease:

The main treatment for celiac disease is to avoid the diet witch contains gluten. When celiac disease is identified in person for first time, then doctor generally ask will the person to work with the dietitian. Dietitian gives headlines for using gluten free diet and they are health care professionals and specialize in nutrition and in food.

Complete avoidance of the celiac disease, best treatment is to avoid gluten. The principles for gluten free diet include the following:

Avoid all the foods made up from rye, wheat and the barley. Examples of gluten are cereals, breads, pasta, cakes, crackers, pies, gravies and cookies.
The people suffering from the celiac disease must avoid the diet which contains the oats. Some preparation of the oats can infected with the wheat. Therefore it is better to avoid the oats during the initial treatment with the gluten free diet. Once remission of disease is got with a diet which is gluten free then small amount of oats may be introduced in the diet but under medical supervision.
Give attention towards processed food because some of the time it may contain gluten. Following foods may contain the gluten. Few names are given below:
- Canned soups
- Ice cream
- Salad dressings
- Luncheon meats
- Candy bars
- Mustard
- Instant coffee
- Ketchup
- Yogurt
- Pasta
- Processed and canned meats
- Sausages
Be aware of capsules, tablets and the vitamin preparations because they contain the gluten. In capsules and tablets, wheat starch is generally used as a binding. In cosmetic product such as lipstick and in vitamin products, gluten may be used.
Must avoid the beer
Other drinks such as brandy, wine, whisky ad other non wheat products.
Avoid those things which contain lactose such as milk and other dairy products.. After getting the treatment, these dairy products may be introduced slowly under medical observation.
For those patients who aren't lactose intolerant can be used fresh meats, fish, corn, rice, potato, soybean, poultry, vegetables, fruits, and the dairy products.
Always consult to the disease societies at national level and dietitians for taking list of gluten free diet. Read labels of products before buying those products because manufacturer changes the contents any time.

For more information on celiac symptoms follow below pages