What on Earth is Celiac?
Celiac is a genetic digestive disease that attacks the small intestine.
The small intestine is the part of the digestive system that is responsible for most digestive processes.
This is where nutrients in food are mostly absorbed by the body.
A person with Celiac disease develops a reaction to gluten, a protein commonly found in wheat and other types of cereal.
Gluten causes the small intestine to damage making it lose his nutrient-absorbing parts.
Since absorption of food mostly happens in the small intestine, symptoms are related to nutrient deficiency.
These include diarrhea due to malabsorption, weight loss or growth failure common to children, and fatigue, but some patients diagnosed with Celiac show little or no signs of known symptoms.
Some even have symptoms that originate from other organs.
The said disease is also linked to numerous other medical conditions based on the number of patients that exhibit one or more of these conditions while diagnosed with Celiac, but there has been no concrete evidence yet to prove that these other conditions are directly connected or caused by Celiac.
A 2005 study has proven that genetically susceptible people exposed to gluten-rich food within three months after birth were five times more likely to develop Celiac than people exposed after four to six months.
The three months right after birth is the time when the gut barrier of an infant is still developing.
This gut barrier is composed of bacteria that helps boost the immune system and produce some vitamins.
The first that should be performed to determine whether a person has Celiac is the blood test.
This should be done to check the blood for anti-transglutaminase antibodies (ATA).
A high level of ATA signifies the presence of Celiac disease.
However, if the blood test result turns out to be negative, this does not mean the person does not have Ciliac.
An endoscopy of the small intestine should be performed to double-check the diagnosis.
There should be five characteristics present and all of them refer to the appearance of the small intestine.
The only effective treatment available right now is the gluten-free diet.
This means that the affected person must avoid eating food items containing gluten such as wheat, barley and rye.
This diet must be religiously implemented with the help of a dietician.
The absence of gluten helps repair the damage it has done to the small intestine.
Gluten-free diet has caused a stir in some religions specifically Catholicism and Judaism since they require all their members to take wheat items (i.
e.
the Host and the unleavened bread).
No other treatment has been proven to cure Celiac.
The small intestine is the part of the digestive system that is responsible for most digestive processes.
This is where nutrients in food are mostly absorbed by the body.
A person with Celiac disease develops a reaction to gluten, a protein commonly found in wheat and other types of cereal.
Gluten causes the small intestine to damage making it lose his nutrient-absorbing parts.
Since absorption of food mostly happens in the small intestine, symptoms are related to nutrient deficiency.
These include diarrhea due to malabsorption, weight loss or growth failure common to children, and fatigue, but some patients diagnosed with Celiac show little or no signs of known symptoms.
Some even have symptoms that originate from other organs.
The said disease is also linked to numerous other medical conditions based on the number of patients that exhibit one or more of these conditions while diagnosed with Celiac, but there has been no concrete evidence yet to prove that these other conditions are directly connected or caused by Celiac.
A 2005 study has proven that genetically susceptible people exposed to gluten-rich food within three months after birth were five times more likely to develop Celiac than people exposed after four to six months.
The three months right after birth is the time when the gut barrier of an infant is still developing.
This gut barrier is composed of bacteria that helps boost the immune system and produce some vitamins.
The first that should be performed to determine whether a person has Celiac is the blood test.
This should be done to check the blood for anti-transglutaminase antibodies (ATA).
A high level of ATA signifies the presence of Celiac disease.
However, if the blood test result turns out to be negative, this does not mean the person does not have Ciliac.
An endoscopy of the small intestine should be performed to double-check the diagnosis.
There should be five characteristics present and all of them refer to the appearance of the small intestine.
The only effective treatment available right now is the gluten-free diet.
This means that the affected person must avoid eating food items containing gluten such as wheat, barley and rye.
This diet must be religiously implemented with the help of a dietician.
The absence of gluten helps repair the damage it has done to the small intestine.
Gluten-free diet has caused a stir in some religions specifically Catholicism and Judaism since they require all their members to take wheat items (i.
e.
the Host and the unleavened bread).
No other treatment has been proven to cure Celiac.
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