What is Gluten Intolerance? What is Celiac Disease?
Featured ArticleMain Category: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology
Also Included In: Allergy; Nutrition / Diet; Irritable-Bowel Syndrome
Article Date: 20 Feb 2006 - 17:00 PDT
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Gluten intolerance is also known as Celiac disease (or Coeliac disease). Quite simply, if you suffer from Celiac disease you have a genetic disorder that makes you intolerant to gluten.
Celiac disease is caused by a reaction to gliadin (a gluten protein found in wheat). It can affect all types of people. However, it seems to be more prevalent among people of Northern European descent.
In the USA about 1 in 133 people suffer from Celiac disease.
Symptoms of Celiac Disease Can Include:
- Diarrhea
- Weight Loss
- Malnutrition
- Mild weakness
- Bone pain
- Abdominal bloating (stomach swells)
- Nutrient Deficiencies
- Ill health with no gastrointestinal symptoms
- Wheat
- Rye
- Barley
Consequences of Consuming Gluten for Celiacs
If a person who is gluten intolerant continues consuming gluten their chances of developing gastrointestinal cancer increase dramatically. Apart from this, their quality of life may be seriously undermined.
Testing for Celiac Disease
To test for Celiac Disease, blood is screened for AGA (Antigliadin) and EmA (Andomysium Antibodies). It is also common to carry out a biopsy in the affected area.
Treatment
The patient should avoid all products that contain gluten for the rest of their life. This is the only real treatment if they want to be free of all the complications and risks the disease presents.
Avoiding gluten is not so easy. Many products have hidden gluten in them. It is important for the patient to educate themself.
Some Good Web Sites To Start Learning More About Celiac Disease Are:
- www.celiac.com
- www.gluten.net
- www.gflinks.com (has many links)
Sources: National Health Service (NHS), UK, The Mayo Clinic, Wikipedia, HHS (Department of Health and Human Services USA), NIH (National Institutes of Health, USA).
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
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Visitor Opinions In Chronological Order (2)
Am I allergic to cream crackers biscuit
posted by SUBRAMANIAM THAMBYRAJAH on 16 Dec 2010 at 12:38 amAs i have a history of gastritiis, I was advised to take
cream crackers biscuit between meals. I normally take one biscuit every hour. However when I take it I have diarrhoea about half an hour later. I am ok with red rice and bananas. I am now 63 years old and I never had this problem in my younger days.
Awaiting your valuable advice. Thank You.
Maniam,
Malaysia
gluten and fits
posted by kim on 21 Feb 2011 at 10:57 amToday we went to our local health shop as we believed my little girl may have a problem with glutenm
We took her off it and it seems she has stopped having epelectic fits and she has started to develope again. The health shop owner told uis that we have saved her life because if we had continued givong her gluten she would have died. We went so far as doing all forms of medical tets and they all came clear.
I honestly can't not believe what it has done. I pray that we can repair the damage it has done
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