Celiac disease is generally known by all as an issue created due consumption of gluten present food. Basic symptoms are related to the digestive system. But there is much more than one knows about it. If the symptoms are not observed and treated at the right time, the celiac disease can be manifested to sever problems. Let us dive a bit deeper about the disease.
About the disease:
Celiac disease is an immune reaction to the protein that is found in wheat, barley, or rye. This celiac is a disease that occurs when a person consumes gluten, and it causes serious ingestion and damage to the small intestine. Around 1 in 100 people across the world are affected by this, and many remain unknown about this being at a long term risk of health applications.
- Coeliac disease
- Celiac sprue
- None tropical sprue
- Gluten-sensitive enteropathy
are other names for celiac disease.
Based on the symptoms, the celiac disease is divided into two types – classical celiac disease and nonclassical celiac disease.
Symptoms and cause:
Celiac Disease runs in families and is passed down to generations. In many cases, it is hereditary, and the disease can develop at any age. Even as a child or an adult, the disease imay develop and yet the reason may remain unknown. Gluten added foods or medicines consumption also lead to celiac disease. Different people are affected differently by the disease. Digestive system or many other parts of the body show various symptoms that are more than 200 in number.
Besides the consumption of gluten is the cause of the celiac disease, other causes are times at which it is observed in a person after surgery, pregnancy, the birth of a child, infection which is viral or due to extremely stressful conditions.
It is highly recommended to keep track of the symptoms and get the disease diagnosed as early as possible as delayed medication leads to serious health issues.
To have a track of all details regarding symptoms and the medical data is a bit tough to store and maintain. The Symptom Tracker makes this job very easy for the patient in keeping track of everything relating to the disease.
Celiac disease symptoms are different as per the age of the person.
Digestive symptoms are most prominent in celiac disease concerning kids, and those are:
- abdominal bloating and pain
- chronic diarrhea
- vomiting
- constipation
- pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool
- weight loss
- fatigue
- irritability and behavioral issues
- dental enamel defects of the permanent teeth
- delayed growth and puberty
- short stature
- failure to thrive
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
The symptoms in an adult vary from those of kids, and those are :
- unexplained iron-deficiency anemia
- fatigue
- bone or joint pain
- arthritis
- osteoporosis or osteopenia (bone loss)
- liver and biliary tract disorders (transaminitis, fatty liver, primary sclerosing cholangitis, etc.)
- anxiety or depression, track your depression with the online diary app.
- peripheral neuropathy (tingling, numbness or pain in the hands and feet)
- migraines
- menstrual periods delay or missing
- infertility or recurrent miscarriage
- canker sores inside the mouth
- dermatitis herpetiformis (itchy skin rash)
Diagnosis and Management:
Based on the symptoms doctor may suggest any of two types of blood tests check for the presence of celiac disease.
- Serology testing where one looks for elevated levels of antibodies in a blood sample that remain immune to gluten.
- Genetic testing looks for human antigens to rule out the celiac disease presence.
The tests have to be performed on a person before going on a gluten-free diet because the test result may vary and make the diagnosis impossible.
If either of the tests shows that you are a positive celiac disease patient, then the doctor will suggest you take the following test.
- Endoscopy, which uses a wire with a tiny camera fitted send through the mouth to travel till the small intestine that captures all the images of the intestine and a small tissue for a biopsy is cut.
- Capsule endoscopy where a person swallows a vitamin-sized capsule which has a camera inside that takes millions of pictures of the small intestine, and it transmits through a recorder.
The basic and the first step of managing in the treatment of the celiac disease is to go on a gluten-free diet forever. Gluten in any form has to be removed from the diet.
- Modified food starch, preservatives, and food stabilizers
- Prescription and over-the-counter medications
- Vitamin and mineral supplements
- Herbal and nutritional supplements
- Lipstick products
- Toothpaste and mouthwash
- Communion wafers
- Envelope and stamp glue
- Play dough
All the above-listed products contain gluten directly, or indirect forms which have to be avoided, and this reduces the inflammation caused in your small intestine and reduces the severity of the disease.
Vitamin deficiencies are observed because of the injection and absorption of the food consumed by the celiac disease seen in the small intestine. Based upon the deficiencies and the anemia, the doctor might suggest consuming various vitamin supplements to enhance the body functioning. Vitamin B12, vitamin K, Vitamin D, folate, zinc, copper, and other vitamins are taken in the form of a pill, and if at all the intestine is having a problem in absorbing pills then the doctor might suggest you take the vitamins in injection form.
Regular medication and follow-up care as advised by the doctor will reduce the severity and pain of the celiac disease in the patient for kids the disease will normally reduce in a period of 3 to 6 months and adults based on the similarity it might take up years for complete solving of the problem. Irrelevant the person has to go gluten-free free diet so that the disease might not get back again and also prevent future complications.
As mentioned earlier, celiac disease is much more than how everyone perceives it. It’s not severed if symptoms are tracked appropriately and if proper treatment can be provided at the right time to reduce the disease to a bare minimum. Track well with Symptom tracker to get well soon.
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