Celiac diseaseis an autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to overreact to gluten.
In this overreaction, the immune system attacks the lining of the small intestine.
Celiac disease impacts approximately 1 in every 100 people around the world.It can affect people of all ages.
What Is Gluten?
Gluten is a form of protein found in some grains.
It can be found in:
Gluten acts as a kind of glue that binds foods together.
For people with celiac disease, gluten is harmful.
This in turn can damage the small intestine and lead to health problems.
Some people with celiac disease may not have any symptoms at all, despite testing positive for Celiac disease.
Children and adults often experience different symptoms.
Possible symptoms include:
Can Celiac Develop Later in Life?
The reason for this remains unknown.
For instance, many women begin to experience celiac symptoms followingpregnancy and birth.
Other people develop symptoms after recovering from an unrelated illnessor following a stressful time in their life.
It is still possible to develop the celiac disease even without risk factors.
The typical first step to reaching a diagnosis is ablood test.
Those who have celiac disease but who ingest gluten will have high levels of specific antibodies in their blood.
This is because the immune system produces these antibodies in response to the gluten it views as a threat.
The camera will take images of your small intestine.
This procedure is considered the gold standard of celiac disease diagnosis.
This is typically performed as an outpatient procedure and you’ll go home later that day.
Without exposure to gluten, the damage in the small intestine will begin to heal.
A gluten-free diet also prevents more damage from occurring.
In some cases, your healthcare provider might prescribe medication to help with rashes associated with celiac disease.
Symptoms may occur that don’t seem related to gluten intake.
If you are experiencing any changes in your digestion or troubling symptoms, consider speaking with your healthcare provider.
Summary
Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition that can develop at any age.
While it’s not understood what causes symptoms to develop, researchers believe multiple factors may be at play.
These risk factors include genes, family history of the condition, and environmental factors.
A Word From Verywell
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that can occur at any age.
Frequently Asked Questions
Those with celiac disease must not ingest any foods or drinks containing gluten.
There are also many packaged gluten-free alternatives for foods like pizza and pasta.
There is no evidence to suggest eliminating gluten from the diet will aid in weight loss.
Those on a gluten-free diet may eat more whole foods and in turn, may eat fewer calories.
But not all gluten-free foods are healthy or low calorie.
Diet and exercise both play a role in weight loss.
Eating more fruits and vegetables and moving more are good first steps toward losing weight.
Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune disease.
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