“What is celiac disease?”
I don't feel so good after I eat any large meal of wheat. Mainly nausea and diarrhea. Could this mean that I have celiac disease? What exactly is this disorder?
4 Answers
Getting symptoms after eating wheat is very common but celiac disease is found in only <1% of the population. So most of the time, the symptoms are not from celiac but rather a reaction to carbohydrates such as fructans. This has been shown in elegant published studies. Celiac disease is an immune reaction to gluten.
1 out of every 500-1000 people have an intolerance to gluten, which can be associated with iron deficiency anemia, intestinal lymphoma, skin rashes, and elevated liver tests. It is often genetic and is diagnosed by a small intestinal biopsy through a scope or via a blood test called tissue transglutaminase. A gluten-free diet can be curative but not easy to follow.
Best,
Dr Lipkis
Best,
Dr Lipkis
Yes, you need to see a GI specialist(or a good Internal Medicine doctor) and be evaluated for Celiac Disease(otherwise known as "gluten-sensitve enteropathy"--meaning that a substance in WHEAT and a few other grains called GLUTEN-- that when eaten can result in an immune or inflammatory condition in the cells/tissues lining the small bowel. This then can cause dysfunction of these cells/tissues in the small bowel which results in symptoms like diarrhea and cramps, and can even progress to malabsorption of food constituents like fats, fat soluble nutrients, and even iron. This can result in weight loss, iron deficiency anemia, fat soluable vitamin deficiency, etc. Thee patients can even suffer mood disorders, bone thinning, and can even be associated with other auto-immune disorders.
Elimination of ALL foods containing GLUTEN will usually cure or markedly improve the problem. But you MUST be very vigilant about what you eat as GLUTEN is in MANY processed foods--not just in obvious wheat or grain products like breads, cakes, cookies, and cereals.
So one MUST check every LABEL of any food(especially processed or canned/packaged foods) to be 100% certain there is no GLUTEN contained within.
There are some easily done BLOOD TESTS that can help make the diagnosis. But GI specialists may want to perform an UPPER ENDOSCOPY with BIOPSY of the small bowel mucosa(lining) and then have a pathologist look at the specimen under the microscope to see if the typical findings of celiac sprue are present.
There are other diseases that can cause the same or similar sx and must be ruled out(ie--lactose intolerance, inflammatory bowel dz, pancreatic exocrine deficiency, etc).
But the "clinical gold standard" is resolution of all of your symptoms with a GLUTEN FREE DIET.
Elimination of ALL foods containing GLUTEN will usually cure or markedly improve the problem. But you MUST be very vigilant about what you eat as GLUTEN is in MANY processed foods--not just in obvious wheat or grain products like breads, cakes, cookies, and cereals.
So one MUST check every LABEL of any food(especially processed or canned/packaged foods) to be 100% certain there is no GLUTEN contained within.
There are some easily done BLOOD TESTS that can help make the diagnosis. But GI specialists may want to perform an UPPER ENDOSCOPY with BIOPSY of the small bowel mucosa(lining) and then have a pathologist look at the specimen under the microscope to see if the typical findings of celiac sprue are present.
There are other diseases that can cause the same or similar sx and must be ruled out(ie--lactose intolerance, inflammatory bowel dz, pancreatic exocrine deficiency, etc).
But the "clinical gold standard" is resolution of all of your symptoms with a GLUTEN FREE DIET.
It’s an allergy to gluten, found in wheat.
