A disease which might be caused which might be caused due to some sort of immune reaction when one gulps in gluten, a type of protein which is present in wheat or barley. If a person is suffering from this disease then the intake of gluten may trigger some sort of immune response in the small intestine of a person. As a result of this the lining of the small intestine is damaged and some nutrients are not absorbed properly. Due to this damage a person suffers from diarrhea, loss of weight, fatigue, etc. This may also worsen the condition of an individual.
In case of children this disease effects their health and growth because a number of nutrients are not being absorbed properly. Currently, there is no such treatment which can cure celiac disease but if a person takes such diet which is free from gluten then the symptoms of this disease can be narrowed down and may lead to the healing of intestine.
Symptoms
The symptoms of this disease vary in children and different adults. The signs of this disease in adults are seen in the form of diarrhea, loss of weight, pain in abdomen, vomiting, etc. But most of the adults facing this disease may not have any sort of connection with the digestive system. They may face anaemia which results due to the deficiency of iron, a person may also face severe headaches, a number of skin rashes, heartburn, injury in the nervous system and much more.
In case of children this disease may cause vomiting, wasting of muscle, swelling of the belly, constipation, a delay in puberty, a number of symptoms that are neurological.
Causes
The occurrence of this disease is due to the interaction between the genes, eating such foods which contain gluten and a number of environmental factors but the main cause of this disease is still unknown. A number of feeding practices, infections that are gastrointestinal and gut bacteria may also be responsible for this type of disease.
A number of times this disease may also trigger or it may become active after a surgery, birth of a child, any sort of infection that is viral or stress that is emotional.
When the immune system of a human body starts to overreact to any sort of gluten which may be present in the food then this sort of reaction damages a number of small hair projections known as villi which line up the small intestine. The absorption of these nutrients one by villi is from the food that a person eats. Variations in gene may increase the risk of this disease but this sort of variation does not really means that one is suffering from this disease. A number of other factors might be involved which might be triggering this disease.
Risk Factors
This disease may affect any person. But this may be common among those individual whose one or more than one family member is already suffering from this disease. This may also occur due to Down syndrome, a thyroid disease which is autoimmune and much more.
Complications
This type of disease may cause malnutrition. This means that the small intestine may not be able to absorb a number of nutrients. This may lead to a loss of weight and it may also slow down the process of growth in children. Due to this disease a loss of bone density also occurs which may lower the amount of calcium in a person’s body. In adults this disease may also cause miscarriages and infertility too.
People who do not maintain such a diet which is free from gluten may also develop the chances of a number of cancers. This may also include bowel cancer. A number of problems which are neurological may also be developed in people suffering from this disease.