Celiac Disease: an ailment causing Gluten Intolerance

Celiac Disease an ailment causing Gluten Intolerance: Symptoms, Causes and Risk Factors

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease where the body is intolerant to gluten; a type of protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. If gluten is consumed by a person having celiac disease it destroys the villi of the small intestine. It is a chronic condition and can go undiagnosed. Since the villi of the small intestine are damaged there is lack of vitamin and mineral absorption.

Types of Celiac Disease:

The World Gastroenterology Organisation has divided Celiac disease into two types:

  • Classical Celiac disease and
  • Non-classical Celiac disease

Classical Celiac disease: The symptoms of Classical Celiac disease is usually seen in children, and rarely in adults.

Non- Classical Celiac disease:

In non-classical Celiac disease, the patient shows mild gastrointestinal symptoms due to malabsorption of nutrients. This type of Celiac disease is usually seen in adults and seldom in children.

Apart from the two types of the Celiac disease, there is one more type Celiac disease, the silent celiac disease, in this type of Celiac disease the patient, do not experience any symptom but medical reports show atrophy of the villi of the small intestine. These people when follows a strict gluten-free diet, they report better health with a reduction in acid-reflux and abdominal bloating or distention.

Symptoms:

The symptoms of Celiac disease in young children and infants are quite different than in adults. Children usually experience symptoms related to the digestive system, but adults have a different set of symptoms.

The symptoms experienced by the children are the following:

  • Bloating of abdomen
  • Abdominal colic
  • Chronic diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Foul smelling, pale fatty stool
  • Vomiting
  • Loss of weight
  • Tiredness
  • Irritability and whining
  • Short Stature
  • Delayed growth
  • Some children show symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
  • Some children also experience dental complains.

Symptoms experienced by the adults are the following:

  • Homochromatic anemia or iron deficiency anemia.
  • Osteoporosis or osteopenia
  • Fatigue
  • Pain in joints and bones
  • Arthritis
  • Liver and bile tract disorder.
  • Loss of weight
  • Infertility and increased risk of miscarriage
  • Tingling of extremities
  • Numbness or pain in extremities
  • Oral thrush or oral ulcers
  • Itchy skin
  • Irregular menstrual cycle
  • Anxiety or in some cases depression
  • Seizures
  • Migraine
  • In around one-third of cases diarrhea.
  • Bloating and pain in the abdomen.

Causes:

The exact cause for developing Celiac disease is not known, but people with close biological relatives having Celiac disease are at higher risk of developing this disease.

Environmental factors composing of infectious agents and microbes are also assumed to cause Celiac disease.

Risk factors:

  • Family history of Celiac disease.
  • People having Down’s syndrome
  • People having type 1 diabetes
  • People having rheumatoid arthritis
  • Addison’s disease
  • People having colitis
  • People having autoimmune thyroid disease

Complications:

  • Malnutrition
  • Infertility and increased risk of miscarriage
  • Lactose intolerance
  • Tingling, pain, and numbness in extremities
  • Lack of calcium in bones.
  • Cancer

Lifestyle tips:

  • Eat gluten-free diet
  • Eat nutrient rich food
  • Get your bone density done regularly
  • Exercise regularly
  • Plan your diet with a dietician

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2 thoughts on “Celiac Disease: an ailment causing Gluten Intolerance”

    1. The only way to manage celiac disease is to eat a gluten-free diet. If gluten is consumed by a person having celiac disease it destroys the villi of the small intestine. It is a chronic condition and can go undiagnosed. Since the villi of the small intestine are damaged there is lack of vitamin and mineral absorption.
      Refer to the lifestyle tips provided in the blog, to have better health outcomes.

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