American Actress Jennifer Esposito’s new Book “Jennifer's Way” sheds light on the misunderstood and often misdiagnosed autoimmune malady Celiac Disease. I thought it would be appropriate to talk a little bit about the problem and get some of the basics down.
Celiac is a digestive disease that interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. Antibodies to the protein Gluten damage the small intestines and flatten them out. Gluten is a protein mostly found in wheat, rye, and barley. While gluten is found mainly in foods, it may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, cosmetics, and even things like barbecue charcoal.
When Celiac patients eat foods or use products containing gluten, the villi which are the the tiny, finger-like protrusions lining the small intestine can be destroyed. The villi allow the nutrients of the food we eat to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Due to this reaction, no matter how much nutritious food you eat, you become malnourished since you can’t absorb any of those nutrients.
Celiac disease is genetic. In some people it never becomes active, although their blood test shows the genetic marker. In others it is triggered by stress, surgery, pregnancy, or even an infection. In many celiac patients the disease is miss-diagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohns Disease an emotional illness, or growing pains. Many sufferers don’t know they have it for at least six years after their symptoms are actively showing up.
Symptoms
Celiac is mainly a digestive system disorder but symptoms can show up in many other systems.
Some of the most common early symptoms of celiac are:
In severe cases as a result of long-term lack of nutrients, whether symptoms ever show up, it is now understood that Celiacs may have:
It is often confused with:
If you think you have celiac disease and intend to get diagnosed it is imperative that you do not change your eating habits. It is important in this case as it is thought that eliminating foods with gluten can produce negative test results even if you actually have celiac disease. Without changing your diet, ask your doctor to have your blood tested for celiac.
If your blood test shows high levels of tissue transglutaminase and you are experiencing other symptoms, your doctor should then perform a biopsy of the small intestine to see if the villi are being damaged.
Treatment
Celiacs MUST maintain a gluten free diet. Depending on the degree of damage to the body, some people show immediate improvement in symptoms after removal of any food or products that contain gluten. Reading the ingredients for everything you put in or on your body is very important and key to finding relief.
Some people, unfortunately, show little or no improvement even after total elimination of gluten from their diet because the intestinal damage is too severe. This is more common in older people who have gone undiagnosed for several years or decades.
Celiac is a digestive disease that interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. Antibodies to the protein Gluten damage the small intestines and flatten them out. Gluten is a protein mostly found in wheat, rye, and barley. While gluten is found mainly in foods, it may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, cosmetics, and even things like barbecue charcoal.
When Celiac patients eat foods or use products containing gluten, the villi which are the the tiny, finger-like protrusions lining the small intestine can be destroyed. The villi allow the nutrients of the food we eat to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Due to this reaction, no matter how much nutritious food you eat, you become malnourished since you can’t absorb any of those nutrients.
Celiac disease is genetic. In some people it never becomes active, although their blood test shows the genetic marker. In others it is triggered by stress, surgery, pregnancy, or even an infection. In many celiac patients the disease is miss-diagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohns Disease an emotional illness, or growing pains. Many sufferers don’t know they have it for at least six years after their symptoms are actively showing up.
Symptoms
Celiac is mainly a digestive system disorder but symptoms can show up in many other systems.
Some of the most common early symptoms of celiac are:
- Abdominal bloating and pain along with diarrhea (sometimes chronic)
- Unexplained weight loss (in some cases weight gain)
- Irregular and/or constipation and other issues with stool
- In children, especially during the years when nutrition is critical to a normal development, celiac can cause delayed growth and short stature, late onset of puberty, and problems with their permanent teeth.
- Anemia or iron deficiencies and chronic fatigue
- Unexplained joint pain or arthritis
- Bone loss or osteoporosis
- Anxiety, depression or other mood challenges
- Unexplained seizures
- Issues like missed periods, infertility or miscarriage (often multiple)
- Canker sores inside the mouth, rashes, hair loss, brittle nails
In severe cases as a result of long-term lack of nutrients, whether symptoms ever show up, it is now understood that Celiacs may have:
- Cancer, especially of the intestine
- Autism & Asperger’s Syndrome
It is often confused with:
- Menstrual iron deficiency anemia
- Diverticulitis
- Infections of the upper and lower GI
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- IBS
- Crohns
If you think you have celiac disease and intend to get diagnosed it is imperative that you do not change your eating habits. It is important in this case as it is thought that eliminating foods with gluten can produce negative test results even if you actually have celiac disease. Without changing your diet, ask your doctor to have your blood tested for celiac.
If your blood test shows high levels of tissue transglutaminase and you are experiencing other symptoms, your doctor should then perform a biopsy of the small intestine to see if the villi are being damaged.
Treatment
Celiacs MUST maintain a gluten free diet. Depending on the degree of damage to the body, some people show immediate improvement in symptoms after removal of any food or products that contain gluten. Reading the ingredients for everything you put in or on your body is very important and key to finding relief.
Some people, unfortunately, show little or no improvement even after total elimination of gluten from their diet because the intestinal damage is too severe. This is more common in older people who have gone undiagnosed for several years or decades.
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