What is Celiac Disease?

So perhaps you or one of your loved ones has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Or maybe you just want to learn more about a disease that affects millions of people. Your first question is probably this: "Well, what exactly is Celiac Disease?" I'm here to tell you just that.

Celiac Disease, also called Celiac Sprue or Gluten-Sensitive Enteropathy, is a digestive and autoimmune disorder where the digestion of gluten, a protein found in barley, wheat, and rye, prompts the body's immune system to respond by attacking the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi. Villi are small hair-like projections that line the small intestine and that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients such as folate, fat, calcium, and iron cannot get absorbed well by the body. Over time, a person then becomes malnourished, no matter what they eat.

Celiac Disease and gluten sensitivity have very similar symptoms, however, Celiac Disease is very different in that those diagnosed can develop severe intestinal damage and have long-term health consequences.

Celiac Disease is estimated to affect one in one hundred people worldwide. Two and one-half million Americans are undiagnosed and are at risk for long-term health complications.
These long-term health complications include:

• Iron Deficiency Anemia
• Growth problems in children
• Infertility and Miscarriage
• Lactose Intolerance
• Pancreatic Insufficiency
• Gall Bladder malfunction
• Early onset Osteoporosis or Osteopenia
• Intestinal Lymphomas and other GI Cancers (Malignancies)
• Central and Peripheral Nervous System disorders
• Vitamin and Mineral deficiencies 
• Neurological manifestations, including Ataxia, Epileptic Seizures, Dementia, Migraines, Neuropathy, Myopathy, and Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy.
• The development of other autoimmune disorders such as Type 1 Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, anemia, and dermatitis herpetiformus

Celiac Disease is hereditary, meaning that it runs in families. People who have a first-degree relative with Celiac Disease (Parent, Child, Sibling) have a one in ten risk of developing Celiac Disease. Infants are also prone to develop Celiac Disease if they are exposed to gluten before three months of age. Celiac Disease may occur at any time, even among the elderly, though the person diagnosed has to be genetically predisposed to the disease.

So there you have it. I hope now you're a bit more knowledgeable on exactly what Celiac Disease is. My next post will explore in more detail the epidemiology of the disease. See you then!