What Is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is a fairly common disease but is not very well known. Celiac disease, or celiac sprue, is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten (Hill, Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of celiac disease in children, 2011). Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats. People with celiac disease who eat foods containing gluten experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage to the inner surface of the small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients (Hill, Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of celiac disease in children, 2011).

Celiac disease seems to be on an up rise today. You now walk into grocery stores and restaurants and see gluten-free food everywhere. Thankfully, for the celiac disease community, life has become a little easier with these accommodations. When most people hear celiac disease many just think gluten-free diets, but they do not realize that celiac disease can affect all parts of the body and mind, or that the disease has a higher prevalence in women. It is a new lifestyle that many have to take on. In the next few pages, I will discuss the affects that this disease has on the body systems, the lifestyle changes many make when diagnosed with celiac disease, and the importance of educating those who are dealing with the disease on a day to day basis. I also will discuss information from two articles which focus in on the direct affects that the disease takes on women living with it, and the lifestyle changes that are necessary to manage the symptoms.

1. Explain the physiologic mechanisms related to celiac disease. What anatomical features of the small intestine lend it to the digestion and absorption of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins?

If you notice or experience any of the signs or symptoms common to celiac disease, see your doctor. If someone in your family is known to have celiac disease, you may need to be tested. Starting the process will help you avoid complications associated with the disease, such as osteoporosis, anemia and certain types of cancer. Seek medical attention for a child who is pale, irritable, fails to grow and who has foul smelling stools. Many other conditions can cause these same signs and symptoms, so it's important to talk to your doctor before trying a gluten-free diet.

Life changing, life long, no cure! This paper is to give knowledge and inform readers on what Celiac Disease is, who it effects, what it affects, and try to explain how it can interrupt a normal, life style to where most of us take for granted. Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you found out you could not eat normal everyday foods that most of us take for granted? What if one day you woke up and found out you could not eat something as simple and as popular as pizza? That you could not eat bread, cake, cookies, lasagna, spaghetti, or even drink beer? That every time you did, you would get sick. Well, for a growing percentage of Americans, that is what is

Celiac disease (CD) is marked by an inability to absorb gluten. Gluten, also known as glutenin, is a protein found in “wheat, rye, barley, spelt, and triticale” (Turner and Torkos). The problem with the disease is that it is an “autoimmune disorder in which the immune system responds to gluten by damaging the small intestine” (Turner and Torkos). This damage to the small intestine is “characterized by villous atrophy” in people who are “genetically susceptible” (Parnell and Ciclitira). The disorder may latent for years and then suddenly cause horrendous symptoms that may be misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome. There is danger in a misdiagnosis because many high fiber foods used to help control irritable bowel syndrome are gluten

Stomach aching, I’d have to spend my day at home sick with a high fever. By the end of the day though, it would seem as if I never got sick. Many starches, flour, caused this. Confused, my mom started to wonder why every time I went to places like Panera or delis I got sick the next day. Therefore she decided to have me tested for Celiac Disease.

To help understand Celiac Disease it helps to know a little of its history. Celiac once named as koiliakos; recognized by a Greek Physician, Aretaeus of Cappadocia (3). The word "koiliakos" in simpler terms meant abdomen. Aretaeus describes the disease as an irritation of the stomach and whether or not a person actually digests their food. Celiac was not exactly officially recognized as a disease until the 19th century. Dr. Mathew Bailie described Celiac as chronic diarrhea and how a continuation of chronic diarrhea eventually leads to malnutrition (4). The severity of this disease was huge and the cause of which unknown. This greatly impacted the health and diet of all victims who did not know the cause of their pain and ultimately their path towards a malnourished life.

Celiac disease is different from other food allergies. Celiac disease is where the small intestine is diseased. A person with celiac accidentally consumes something with gluten will be more likely to have intestinal problems such as constipation, gas, and diarrhea (Liu, Dong, Barón, Taki, Norris, Frohnert, & Rewers 2017). Symptoms of the condition include abdominal pain, nausea, anemia, heartburn, weight loss, mouth ulcers, and headaches.

Symptoms linked to gluten sensitivity symptoms include some of the same ones attributed to celiac disease - diarrhea, cramping of the abdomen, bloating, headache, fatigue and possibly ADHD. But until there's a test that identifies gluten sensitivity, diagnosing this condition will remain a challenge.

One of the most common symptoms of celiac disease that bring patients to their doctor is constipation (Beyond Celiac). Constipation occurs when the gastrointestinal track cannot properly digest the food. The creator of all these problems is the villi. Residing in the small

“In this disorder the gastrointestinal tract is the major site of harm and it is also classified as an autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is a disease where the body instead of helping cure itself actually attacks itself.” The immune system begins trying to kill parts of the body that are healthy and functioning correctly. Also, more times than not the parts of the body it starts trying to kill need to be alive in order to live. “What happens in Celiac disease is the immune system treats gluten as a foreign object and inflames the villi in the small intestine in order to protect the body from what the immune system sees as an invader. This causes a problem because the villi in the small intestine enable the body to digest and absorb food. When they are inflamed and eventually flattened, they can no longer perform. This leads to malnourishment or a lack in nutrition” (Green). The villi can no longer do its job of absorbing nutrients into the body so no matter how many different kinds of food and how much of it they eat, the person will remain malnourished until they cut gluten out of their diet and the villi become healthy again (Langwith). Depending on each individual that has Celiac disease this effect can either progress rapidly or gradually (Green).

Celiac is an autoimmune disease; meaning the immune system is attacking and destroying ones on health cells within the body mistakenly when eating gluten also known as a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. When consuming these types of food hard to absorb for people with this type of disorder. Once gluten is digests by an individual for the first time this can cause a reaction in a person immune system with these disease because the antibodies from gluten are invading by damaging the villi which are finger- shaped tissue lined in your small intestine in your digestive tract. The villi are what helps take in all the nutrients from the food we eat to allow our body to stay healthy and fight off diseases. Damage caused to the intestines makes it hard to absorb nutrients our body requires such as; calcium, iron, fat and folate. Improper absorption of these nutrients can lead to other medical problems. This condition is a chronic autoimmune disease; which means it is not something you can get rid of overtime, but proper diagnosis and treatment can help.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder which is triggered by consumption of a dietary protein called gluten. Celiac disease causes the immune system to react abnormally to gluten. This immune response can lead to damage of the small intestines therefore causing malabsorption of vital nutrients. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye). Celiac disease is also referred to as celiac sprue, gluten-sensitivity and non-tropical sprue. Gluten is not only contained in grains but it is also a hidden ingredient in a very large number of prepared foods. Celiac disease is a genetic disorder which means that the genes which predispose people to celiac disease can be passed on from parent to child in the DNA. Celiac disease is also more common among people with other genetic disorders including Down syndrome and Turner syndrome, a condition that affects girls’ development.

Celiac disease seems to be on an up rise today. You now walk into grocery stores and restaurants and see gluten-free food everywhere. Thankfully, for the celiac disease community, life has become a little easier with these accommodations. When most people hear celiac disease many just think gluten-free diets, but they do not realize that celiac disease can affect all parts of the body and mind, or that the disease has a higher occurrence in women. It is a new lifestyle that many must take on. In the next few pages, I will discuss the affects that this disease has on the body systems, the lifestyle changes many make when diagnosed with celiac disease, and the importance of educating those who are dealing with the disease on a day to day basis. I also will discuss information from two articles which focus on the direct affect the disease takes on women living with celiac disease, and the lifestyle changes that are necessary to manage the symptoms.