What is Celiac Disease? April 20, 2009

If you could summarize what Celiac Disease (CD) is, it would probably be that celiac disease is a digestive disease (not an allergy) that disrupts the absorption of nutrients from food in the small intestine. People with CD are intolerant to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, oats, and barley, as well as derivatives from these items. When people with CD consume gluten, the villi (small, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine) are damaged or destroyed. Villi absorb the nutrients in the food that you consume through the walls in the small intestine, and follow into your bloodstream. When a person with CD consumes gluten, they can become malnourished no matter how much food that they eat. Celiac is a genetic disease, meaning that it is passes on from family member to family member. Sometime Celiac can be triggered in a person, especially after pregnancy, viral infections, or severe stress. More than 2 million people in the United States have Celiac disease, which is about 1 in 133 people. People who have a first degree relative, eg. a parent with CD, as many as 1 in 22 may have the disease. There is only one treatment for CD, and that is to follow a gluten free diet. People who have CD and are unsure of what the commitment involves should consult their doctor, and may find it helpful to join classes and support groups, either online or in their town or city. Celiac disease can be made much easier through the help of others, and by reaching out, the Celiac community can grow stronger. For more information about Celiac Disease as well as treatments and diagnosis symptoms, visit www.celiac.org