Understanding Celiac Disease: More Than Just a Gluten Intolerance
Celiac disease is often misunderstood as a simple gluten intolerance or a trendy dietary choice. However, it's a serious autoimmune disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Let's dive into what Celiac disease really is, its symptoms, diagnosis, and management.
What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder triggered by consuming gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. When people with Celiac disease eat gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the small intestine, leading to various health issues.
Symptoms: More Than Just Tummy Troubles
While digestive symptoms are common, Celiac disease can affect the entire body. Symptoms may include digestive issues such as diarrhea, bloating, gas, constipation, You may also experience unexplained weight loss, skin rashes (dermatitis herpetiformis), anemia, joint pain. Neurological symptoms like headaches, "brain fog", or fatigue and weakness are also common.
That being said, some people with Celiac disease may have no obvious symptoms at all!
Diagnosing Celiac disease typically involves:
Blood tests to check for specific antibodies
Genetic testing for HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genes
An intestinal biopsy to confirm damage to the small intestine
It's crucial to continue eating gluten before these tests for accurate results.
Living with Celiac Disease: A Gluten-Free Lifestyle
The only treatment for Celiac disease is a gluten-free diet. This means avoiding foods that contain wheat, barley, rye, and sometimes oats. Additionally there are many processed foods that contain hidden gluten, and you definitely want to be careful with cross-contamination during food preparation!
While challenging at first, many people find that a gluten-free diet significantly improves their health and quality of life.
Beyond Diet: The Importance of Support
As many people living with Celiac disease will tell you, it isn't just about changing your diet. It's about. You will find yourself needing to educate family and friends about your new lifestyle, and learning to navigate social situations and dining out.
At Finch Nutrition, we also recommend connecting with support groups and others with Celiac disease to find a community that knows what you’re going through and that can offer emotional support.
Most important to remember though, is that a Celiac diagnosis doesn't mean the end of enjoying food. It's an opportunity to explore new, delicious gluten-free options and take control of your health!
