Celiac-Schmeliac

Over the next few weeks, I hope to share with y'all about gluten intolerance, embracing the gluten-free lifestyle, information about delicious non-glutenous grains & foods, and also some of the lessons I have learned in my gluten free kitchen, especially the secrets and how-tos of gluten-free baking. Celiac disease is an issue that is very near and dear to my heart, and I hope by sharing some of my experiences that others who may suspect the illness may be encouraged to get tested and get on their way to enjoying life much more than they are while feeling ill. :o)

*Celiac Disease affects 1 in 133 Americans & Canadians in the general population and 1 in 22 people with known risk factors of the illness.

*Most patients will be ill for at least nine years before a proper diagnosis is given, thanks largely to old myths and confusion surrounding the illness held even by those in the medical community.

*The prevalence of celiac disease meets the standards of the World Health Organization for just grounds of general screening, but this screening process has not yet become a reality in the United States or Canada.

What is Celiac Disease?

Contrary to some of the ideas floating around, celiac disease is *not* a food allergy or intolerance, but an auto-immune disease that affects the intestines of those afflicted with this illness. As with all auto-immune diseases, the immune system is reacting in improper ways and results in the body harming itself. In the case of celiac disease, the immune system reacts to the gluten protein as if it were a toxin, and unfortunately winds up attacking the small intestine in the process. As the body reacts to the gluten protein, the villi in the intestine are damaged, and the small intestine is no longer able to absorb a whole host of nutrients, including fats, carbs, vitamins, and minerals, thus leaving the afflicted person vulnerable to numerous malabsorption related illnesses, a host of other serious illnesses, including various forms of cancer, and even other auto-immune diseases, like Sjogrens, insulin dependent diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of celiac disease will present differently in every individual, and may also come about differently in the same person at different points in their life. It is important to note that not all who have celiac disease even notice any symptoms of the illness, and hence may not get tested until they find themselves very ill. Digestive symptoms are not felt by everyone or even most celiacs, nor are they necessarily the most severe symptoms that will be experienced. Although I had a lot of GI related symptoms, mental fogginess and severe fatigue were the most terrible issues I experienced in the months leading up to my diagnosis. Severely dry skin, frequent infections and illness, and general feelings of malaise were another cause of concern that impacted my life a great deal. I also experienced the effects of general malnutrition, which likely brought about many of the symptoms I experienced above, and made my recovery from the effects of celiac disease all the more trying and lengthy.

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, some of the most commonly reported symptoms are as follows:

* Recurring bloating, gas, or abdominal pain
* Chronic diarrhea or constipation or both
* Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
* Pale, foul-smelling stool
* Unexplained anemia
* Bone or joint pain
* Behavior changes/depression/irritability
* Vitamin K Deficiency
* Fatigue, weakness or lack of energy
* Delayed growth or onset of puberty
* Failure to thrive (in infants)
* Missed menstrual periods
* Infertility male & female
* Spontaneous miscarriages
* Canker sores inside the mouth
* Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel

In addition to these symptoms, if you or a family member have an auto-immune illness, you might be a celiac. If a relative has celiac disease, there is a good change you have celiac disease. If you experience hyperemesis during pregnancy, you might be a celiac. This list could unfortunately go on and on as there are *many* risk indicators and a slew of additional symptoms that have been reported by celiacs upon their diagnosis.

If you have reason to suspect the possibility of celiac disease in yourself, your children, or other loved ones, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness has a nifty little test on their website that can help you gauge your possible risk for the illness.

How is Celiac Disease Diagnosed?

Celiac Disease is typically diagnosed in a four step routine--

*The first step includes assessing a person's family history and possible risk for the illness, in addition to a physical exam looking for markers of malabsorption and symptoms of the disease.

*From here a likely sufferer will then be given a panel of serum blood tests that will be looking for certain antibodies in the blood, and may possibly be checking for levels of vital nutrients and minerals.

*If these tests indicate a celiac profile, from here many doctors will confirm the diagnosis with a biopsy of the small intestines. The biopsy is not performed on all patients, and some doctors are more conservative about performing this procedure than others, especially as villi damage cannot always be observed on a younger patient.

*Regardless of it a biopsy was performed or not, a gluten-free diet will be suggested for a suspected/confirmed celiac, and if somebody improves on the diet, even without a biopsy, many doctors will consider this the ultimate confirmation of this auto-immune disease. While this is a fairly "easy" fix, the ease of the initial transition is not always that easy as a person learns to negotiate our wheat filled world, but thankfully, they will reap the fruits of their labors very, very soon as they begin to feel better within the very first days of the new diet. Within the first week, the lining of the intestine begins to repair itself, and by the six month mark, nearly all of the damage is repaired in most celiacs.

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