Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms.
In people with coeliac disease, the small intestine becomes inflamed when foods containing gluten are consumed. This inflammation damages the lining of the small intestine, which normally has tiny, finger-like projections called villi that are responsible for absorbing nutrients from food. When the villi are damaged, they may flatten out, making it much more difficult for you to absorb nutrients.
Possible symptoms may include:
- Abdominal pains
- Bloating and gas
- Diarrhea
- Stools that may float or smell very bad
- Weight loss
- Poor growth or weight loss in children
- Anemia (low blood count)
- Feeling weak
- Fatigue
- Low vitamin levels - especially iron, calcium and folate
- Bone and joint pains
- Osteoporosis (bone thinning)
- A skin rash that lasts
- Infertility
- Neurological Deficits (neuropathy)
- Liver enzyme abnormalities
Treatment for coeliac disease
There is no cure for coeliac disease, but it can be treated with a gluten-free diet. Most people find that once gluten is excluded from their diet, their symptoms improve dramatically because the inflammation in the small intestine resolves quickly, and any damage to its lining can heal. People with coeliac disease need to stick to the gluten-free diet for the rest of their lives to prevent further inflammation.
It’s important to note that you should not have started a gluten-free diet before being tested for coeliac disease, because this can alter your test results and make the diagnosis more difficult.
A dietitian or nutritionist can advise you on how to exclude gluten from your diet and suggest healthy eating alternatives. You will most likely become an expert in reading food labels and knowing which foods are best avoided.
A small number of people who have severely damaged small intestines don’t improve straight away with a gluten-free diet. These people may need medicines to help reduce the inflammation, such as corticosteroids. Some people may also need to be treated for nutritional deficiencies, usually with vitamin and mineral supplements.
