celiac disease

647 Words2 Pages

Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is a digestive disease which damages the small intestine and causes problems when nutrients are being absorbed. People that have celiac disease can’t eat foods that contain gluten. Gluten can be found in wheat, barley, and rye. When the people with celiac disease eat foods that contain gluten, their immune system gives a reaction that damages the villi. The villi help absorb nutrients from food through the small intestine into the bloodstream. When a person has damaged villi, they can never get the benefit of nutrients. “More than 2 million people have this disease in the United States” (NDDIC). The relatives of the person with celiac disease have a chance of getting the disease to 1in 22 of every effected relative get affected. Celiac disease can also be called celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy. It is a genetic disease.
The symptoms of this disease are different for everyone. The reason the symptoms are different for everyone is because it depends on the person’s age, and when the person started eating foods that contain gluten. Sometimes, it also depends on how long the person was breastfed. If you were breastfed longer, then the symptoms appear later on. In infants or young people digestive symptoms are common. The digestive symptoms are abdominal bloating and pain, chronic diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, light, smelly, and fatty stool, and weight loss. Adults have other symptoms like unexplained iron-deficiency anemia, fatigue, joint pain, arthritis, bone loss or osteoporosis, tingling numbness in the hands and feet, seizures, missed menstrual periods, canker sores inside the mouth, and an itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis (NDDIC). Celiac disease c...

... middle of paper ...

...at preparations contain wheat which can be effect the person with the disease. Paying attention to the labels of the processed foods is also important. If you read the labels, you will be able to know if the processed food is okay to eat or not. Avoid milk products that contain lactose. Since people with Celiac disease have a vitamin and mineral deficiency, they should take vitamin daily to make up for it. While picking up medicine, read the label to see if the medicine contains gluten. You should also avoid alcohol. People should always be cautious since more and more people are being diagnosed with Celiac disease every year.

Works Cited

• National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NDDIC)." Celiac Disease. NIH Publication, 27 Jan. 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
• Malienda, Ratini. "Celiac Disease Health Center." Celiac Disease Treatment. WebMD, n.d. Web.

Open Document