When your body rejects gluten
The bread is called "the food of life", but for many people, who haven't the ability to absorb gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and some oat products, bread may act as "a stone" in their stomach.
Celiac syndrome
If you suffer from celiac syndrome, this is what happens:
When your body is exposed to gluten, the membrane that covers the small intestine gradually loses its normal texture, getting inflamed, it loses its roughness and its ability to absorb nutrients. As a result, you may suffer severe abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, yellow stools, weight loss and lack of energy.
That is just the beginning, if it is not diagnosed, celiac syndrome, can cause intestinal damage, gastrointestinal cancer and serious immune system disorders, such as insulin-dependent diabetes. In addition, nutritional deficiencies that characterize this disease may activate unrelated problems, including osteoporosis and even fetal failure.
A folic acid deficiency in pregnant women may predispose neurological problems such as spina bifida to babies.
Getting a diagnosis is not easy, but try to persevere. Once you know that you suffer from celiac disease, changes in your diet can relieve your stomach, and reverse the damage that can cause more severe illness.
In search of proper diagnosis
The first step is the hardest, on average, it takes about 10 years and an equal number of doctors to make the diagnosis of celiac disease.
The longer the sick person is exposed to gluten, the greater the risk of autoimmune diseases or cancer, so it is imperative that a person with potential celiac seek for appropriate help.
The problem is that celiac syndrome may not be disguised, or may be confused with a lot of similar or related disorders.
Diabetes, thyroid disease, and cancer of the digestive system may be to blame, as well as anemia, allergies, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and even simple stress.
If we add the reactions to other foods such as lactose intolerance, the confusion would be complete, for doctor and patient.
To get the right diagnosis and as fast as you can, you may need to see a specialist. If you suspect you suffer from Celiac Syndrome, because you suffer symptoms, make an appointment with a gastroenterologist, who specializes in issues affecting the stomach, intestines, gallbladder and bile ducts. Gastroenterologists often have more experience in recognizing and treating people with celiac disease.
It's in your genes
Celiac syndrome is also genetic. Unfortunately, genetic markers do not indicate if you suffer from this ailment, but can be used to discart it. For a positive diagnosis, small bowel biopsies are also used in which doctors remove a small tissue sample, to analyze its texture.
Antibodies tests and transglutaminas examination of tissues can also be performed. Both tests are designed to reveal the presence of celiac antibodies in the blood, and they diagnose the disease so quickly.
Treatment
The only way by which people with this disease can stay healthy, is by avoiding gluten forever.
Consuming only grains that do not contain it such as rice, maize, sorghum, flax, amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa flour, nuts, beans and potatoes.
When there is total absence of gluten, most celiac syndrome symptoms disappear in about six months. After five years of treatment, the risk of malignant diseases decreases to the same level of the rest of the population.
Note: If you think you suffer from celiac syndrome, consult your doctor before eliminating gluten from your diet. In order to have an accurate diagnosis is necessary the consumption of gluten, otherwise, the results may not be accurate.
References
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- Pelkowski, T. D., & Viera, A. J. (2014). Celiac disease: diagnosis and management. American Family Physician, 89(2), 99–105.
- Nunes-Silva, J. G., Nunes, V. S., Schwartz, R. P., Mlss Trecco, S., Evazian, D., Correa-Giannella, M. L., … Queiroz, M. S. (2017). Impact of type 1 diabetes mellitus and celiac disease on nutrition and quality of life. Nutrition & Diabetes, 7(1), e239.
- Kylokas, A., Kaukinen, K., Huhtala, H., Collin, P., Maki, M., & Kurppa, K. (2016). Type 1 and type 2 diabetes in celiac disease: prevalence and effect on clinical and histological presentation. BMC Gastroenterology, 16(1), 76.
- Weiss, B., & Pinhas-Hamiel, O. (2017). Celiac Disease and Diabetes: When to Test and Treat. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 64(2), 175–179.
- Ojetti, V., Nucera, G., Migneco, A., Gabrielli, M., Lauritano, C., Danese, S., … Gasbarrini, A. (2005). High prevalence of celiac disease in patients with lactose intolerance. Digestion, 71(2), 106–110.