Is Celiac Disease Causing Your Gluten Intolerance?

A lot of people may not know what Celiac disease is, and they probably have never even heard the word used before, but some of these people could easily be suffering from this disease and not know it, and if they have any complaints, they ignore them and continue on with their lives.

But I'm sure most of us know what having a gluten intolerance is, and a lot of people suffer from this also, and they basically do the same... ignore the complaints and go on with their lives. What they don't know is that their small intestine could possibly be paying the price for them ignoring the problems they are having.

Anyone can develop celiac disease, but those who suffer with microscopic colitis, type 1 diabetes, down syndrome and autoimmune thyroid disease are more susceptible. And even though no one really knows what causes celiac disease, they are sure that the people who have it suffer from gluten intolerance.

What Is Celiac Disease

It has been said that the disease comes from having developed a particular irregular gene, that causes you to be more susceptible to celiac disease, and that there is a greater chance of having this gene if your father or mother has the condition.

It has also been stated that other outside influences could play a role in those who may inherit this gene. Outside factors like pregnancy, surgery, childbirth, extreme stress, or bacteria and viruses could possibly change your small intestine enough that when you eat anything containing gluten, it will cause your immune system to react negatively which brings on celiac disease.

Risk Factors Of Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance

Something else you don't know and don't realize, is that while you are suffering through the symptoms of this disease, it is slowly interfering with the function of your small intestine, to the point that it is not absorbing the necessary nutrients from the food you eat.

This happens because your immune system is basically killing the lining of your small intestine, which has small protrusions resembling tiny fingers called villi. The villi help with the absorption of nutrients into your bloodstream, by way of the walls of your small intestine. If they are damaged or killed, your body will not get the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.

You are not absorbing vitamins or minerals which can lead to anemia and weight loss. Losing these important vitamins means losing calcium and vitamin D, which will affect your bone density. Because your small intestine have been damaged, other gluten-free foods may now cause you pain when you eat them.

Another serious problem would be developing intestinal lymphoma or bowel cancer, because you have ignored the complaints you are having, and continue to consume food with gluten. But it does not stop there. You are also at risk of developing seizures and nerve damage.

The hardest thing about having celiac disease is that it is easy to ignore your complaints, because this disease doesn't have any typical symptoms. You may not experience gastrointestinal problems at all, and the symptoms you do have could easily be associated with gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, parasite infections, anemia and Crohn's disease.

Symptoms Of Celiac Disease

• Abdominal cramping and bloating • Reduced fat padding on feet • Abdominal distention • Passing gas
• Acidosis • Gluten ataxia • Increased craving appetite • Back pain • Fatigue • Tingling in legs and feet
• Mouth sores or cracks in the corners • Hands and legs muscle cramping • Constipation • Night blindness
• Blood clotting ability decreased • Very dry skin • Dehydration • Diarrhea • Tongue smooth or looks continents
• Edema • Tooth enamel defects • Electrolyte depletion • Weakness • Energy loss • Weight loss • Joint pain
• Stools are foul smelling • Irritability or depression

The longer you go without treating celiac disease and your gluten intolerance, the more complications you will experience, and this could lead to you developing osteoporosis and liver diseases also.

How Common is Celiac Disease

This disease is more common than you think, and more people have it than is reported, because so many still ignore their body's complaints. And even though this disease can be found in people all over the world, there are probably 2 million or more people in the United States that suffer from celiac disease. So what you are looking at is 1 in every 133 people in America, has celiac disease.

Diagnosing Celiac Disease

Since the disease mimics other conditions, it is rather hard to diagnose celiac disease by symptoms only. So your doctor will have to perform blood test that can check for levels of certain autoantibodies that fight against your body's tissues and cells, which means checking the levels of anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies or anti-endomysium antibodies.

The thing to remember when contemplating blood work, is that you must continue with the same diet you've been eating. Don't change your eating habit, because this could interfere with the results of your blood test. So continue to eat your pasta and bread.

Your doctor could also request an intestinal biopsy to confirm what the blood test shows. That yes, you do have celiac disease. A long tube will be inserted down your throat, to your stomach and into the small intestine, where your physician will proceed to take a little sample from your small intestine to see if villi are present or not.

Since some people exhibit dermatitis herpetiformis, which is basically a rash that itches and blisters, and generally appears on you buttocks, elbows or knees... your doctor may suggest doing just the blood test and a skin biopsy instead of the intestinal biopsy.

Treating Celiac Disease

Right now, the only way to treat celiac disease is to go on a gluten-free diet. There is no way to stop you from having gluten intolerance. Your physician should be able to give you information on what you can and cannot eat, and for most, when you maintain a gluten-free diet, your small intestine will begin to heal and all your complaints or symptoms will stop.

After going on the gluten-free diet, you should begin seeing results within a few days. However, depending on how old you are, certain things like teeth enamel damage and having a short stature will not change. Also, if small amounts of gluten still gets into your food, you may not heal or see any changes at all.

You have to scrutinize everything you eat for the rest of your life, because gluten shows up in places you would never expect. Like vitamins. There are so many additives, modified food starches and preservatives that have wheat in them, that you have to be really be careful what you eat and take.

If you are one of the unfortunate people who suffer from refractory celiac disease, then going on a gluten-free diet may help some, but your small intestine are so extensively damaged that they won't heal, and because of this, you will have to receive your nutrients intravenously.

Be Careful What You Eat

When you go on a gluten-free diet, it means no barley, wheat, or rye or any foods containing any form of these products. Which would include pasta, cereal, most grains and a lot of the processed foods we eat. But remember, a lot of products contain these products, so you have to research and basically stick with natural and fresh foods.

Try using flour made with buckwheat, soy, rice, potato, bean flour or amaranth. You can also check into purchasing gluten free pasta and bread. The amount of products you can purchase that are gluten-free has increased, and there is no reason you can't enjoy some of the same foods you have always enjoyed.

Combine your gluten-free food with some natural foods like your meats, fish, rice, fruits and vegetables, and you can live a comfortable lifestyle eating a wide variety of foods you like.