HEALTH - CELIAC DISEASE
The digestive system is the set of organs that digest food and absorb the important nutrients the body needs to stay healthy and grow. One important part of the digestive system is the small intestine, which is lined with millions of microscopic, finger-like projections called villi. Nutrients are absorbed into the body through the villi. People who have celiac disease have a disorder that makes their bodies react to gluten. When they eat gluten, an immune system reaction to the protein gradually damages the villi in the small intestine. When the villi are damaged, the body is unable to absorb the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to stay healthy.
People with celiac disease are therefore at risk of malnutrition and can develop anemia or osteoporosis (brittle bones from lack of calcium). The body's inability to absorb nutrients can also mean that young people with untreated celiac disease may not grow properly and may have weight loss and fatigue. In addition, people who have celiac disease may be prone to developing other diseases, such as thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, and gastrointestinal cancer.
Signs and Symptoms
It's important to diagnose celiac disease early before it causes damage to the intestine. But because it's easy to confuse the symptoms with other intestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome or lactose intolerance, teens with celiac disease may not know they have it. Some common symptoms of celiac disease are diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating, and weight loss. Someone with the disease may feel tired and could be irritable or depressed. Some have skin rashes and mouth sores. Teens with undiagnosed celiac disease may go through puberty late. Someone might not show any symptoms until going through an emotionally or physically stressful event, such as going away to college, illness, or an injury or pregnancy.
Taking Care of Yourself
The good news about celiac disease is that the foods mentioned at the beginning of this article, including birthday cake and pizza can be prepared without gluten. So if you have celiac disease, you can still find ways to enjoy most of your favorite foods you just need to do some research and be aware of what's in the foods you eat.
Here are four things you should do if you have celiac disease:
1,Learn to read labels to find out if a food contains gluten.
2,Learn which foods is gluten free.
3,Find alternatives to wheat, barley, and rye flours and other gluten-containing grain ingredients for your recipes.
4,Find a support group where you and other people with the condition can share up-to-date information.
Treatment
Celiac Disease/Dermatitis Herpetiformis (CD/DH) are chronic disorders. The only treatment is the lifelong adherence to the gluten-free diet. When gluten is removed from the diet, the small intestine will start to heal and overall health improves. Medication is not normally required. Consult your physician regarding specific nutritional supplementation to correct any deficiencies. The diagnosed celiac should have medical follow-up to monitor the clinical response to the gluten-free diet. Adapting to the gluten-free diet requires some lifestyle changes. It is essential to read labels which are often imprecise, and to learn how to identify ingredients that may contain hidden gluten. Even small amounts of ingested gluten can affect those with CD and cause health problems. Dietary compliance increases the quality of life and decreases the likelihood of osteoporosis, intestinal lymphoma and other associated illnesses. Because osteoporosis is common and may be profound in patients with newly diagnosed CD, bone density should be measured at or shortly after diagnosis.