What is Celiac Disease?

So you're reading Celiac Disease- CD, and you're wondering, what on Earth is she talking about? I've never heard of anything like this. What is gluten anyway?
Others have a vague idea about what I'm talking about, but they aren't quite sure about the specifics.
So let me feed your curiousity, and please remember, I am no doctor. What I am about to tell you is strictly through my own research and knowledge.

What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac Disease or CD is a disorder that originates from the body having an intolerance to Gluten. Again, what is gluten? Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, which is used in many foods as well as other everyday items of life. But more on that later.
When I say intolerance, I am not talking about your general food allergy reaction where your tongue swells or your skin itches. The intolerance experienced in CD is also through an overreaction of the immune system, but instead of releasing histamines into the blood, the immune system of CD patients moves on to attack their small intestine. Yes, you read that right. Everytime a person eats a food item that contains gluten the immune system does not recognize gluten for what it is and destroys the small villi that are present in the small intestine. (Small biology brush up: Villi are small finger-like structures that cover the inner lining of the small intestine. These villi are the structures that absorb nutrients from the food).
Therefore with the destruction of these villi, people with CD tend to suffer from malnutrition.


What are CD symptoms?
CD patients display a wide range of symptoms: They're exhausted most of the time. They also tend to suffer from diarrhea or constipation (actually many people with CD tend to be misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS). They also lose a lot of weight because their small intestines are not absorbing the nutrients from the food. In children the malnutrition can result in stunted growth and irritibality. In adults, other effects of malnutrition can be seen such as osteoporosis, anemia and arthritis just to name a few. The reasons symptoms of CD are all over the chart are because of the variables between the patients. Their age group, the amount of gluten they consume and the degree of damage to the small intestine all play a roll in the symptoms.


How do people get CD?
So now that we have explained what it is, the next step would be to explain how people get it. Don't worry, if a person with CD sneezes in your face you won't be getting anything from them (except for the flu maybe). CD is a genetic disorder, which means it generally runs in families although you could be suffering from CD without any of your family having suffered from it (like me!).
Although CD is genetic it can remain dormant for years and becomes active due to a physical trauma (like a surgery), or because of an emotional trauma (such as bereavement or severe depression). It is also useful to know that CD is one of the most misdiagnosed diseases in the world.
It was thought that CD was a rare condition, but it is now known that in the States 1 of 133 people will have CD (1 in 22 if a direct family member has it). Yeah, that's a lot of people isn't it?


How does CD get diagnosed?
So how ARE people diagnosed with CD? There are several methods, but I am 100% sure of 2 so I will write about those.
1) Blood Test. This test will measure the amount of IgA in your blood level. What is IgA? It is an antibody that generally protects your body from infections. High levels of IgA are a very good indication of CD, although some patients will have a negative result.
2) A more sure way to test for CD is through an endoscopic biopsy. Endoscopy is a a procedure where a tube-like structure will be inserted through the mouth and moved downwards through the digestive tract to reach the area that needs to be checked. In case of CD that would be the small intestine, where the doctor would take a biopsy (a small tissue sample) and check to see if the villi is damaged. If they are, that is a positive indication of CD.


What is the cure for CD?
Now comes the tricky part. How do you cure CD? Unfortunately, upto the moment of me writing this blog no cure has been found that prevents the antibodies from reacting to gluten. The only way a patient can improve and allow the small intestine to heal is through a strict gluten free diet.
The definition of strict is not variable. It is not like a weight loss diet where a person can be allowed to "cheat" and eat something unhealthy every once in a while. All gluten has to be cut from the diet for good. Even the smallest amounts of gluten ingested cause damage to the small intestine.
Generally following a strict gluten-free diet allows the intestines to heal completely (from 4 to 6 weeks in children, and 4 to 6 months in adults).



If you are diagnosed with CD, do not despair. As one of my friends once pointed out: At least you now know what's wrong.
I've read about people who've suffered for years (some for almost 20-30 years) before getting diagnosed, so just knowing what you have is a relief.
Many people lead healthy normal lives, they just have to be careful around gluten :)
If you don't have CD but know someone who does, please be supportive. The first few days or weeks after the diagnosis may be a bit of a whirlwind, and hopefully with enough support and help that person can get through it.
If you are neither, please keep what I wrote in mind. You never know when you need it!