Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten. Its symptoms are more complex and far-reaching than many people understand, extending far beyond the gut. In this section I'll try to empower patients to better understand the process of identifying, diagnosing and treating celiac disease.
The connection between gluten and weight is a common one. One of the symptoms of gluten intolerance includes weight loss, but weight gain can also be a symptom. For some people the weight gain doesn’t start until they begin a gluten-free diet. While some people adopt a gluten-free diet in an effort to lose weight, others gain weight on a gluten-free diet. What causes this to happen?
A study published in the medical journal BMC Gastroenterology found that on average it takes 9.7 years for a celiac patient to be diagnosed after he or she first experiences symptoms, and 5.8 years after visiting a doctor about those symptoms. According to the Columbia University Medical Center, the U.S. has more cases of undiagnosed celiac disease than Europe because doctors do not prescribe intestinal biopsies enough. No blood panel is 100% accurate; an intestinal biopsy is the only gold standard for celiac disease diagnosis.
A reader recently asked about a blood test her doctor ordered about ten years ago. Discover what formerly common celiac disease blood test is now obsolete.
Have you ever heard of Addison’s Disease? If you haven’t and you have a confirmed case of celiac disease, it’s important you understand the close association between celiac disease and Addison’s Disease. In a comprehensive study conducted by Orebro University Hospital in Sweden, more than 10% of all patients with celiac disease also developed Addison’s
Since celiac disease symptoms occur as a result of consuming gluten, people often categorize celiac disease (CD) as a digestive disorder. But the symptoms are actually the result of an autoimmune disease, and often the most insidious and serious signs aren’t as tangible and immediate as various intestinal discomforts. CD may also manifest itself very differently in different people, so it is difficult to use a checklist of symptoms to identify this condition.
Delineating whether you are suffering from wheat allergy symptoms or gluten allergy symptoms or celiac disease will be up to your doctor, but this celiac disease symptoms checklist should at least help you understand if celiac disease is a real possibility and then help your doctor better understand why you should be tested. Once you know your condition, you can improve your health and quality of life with the proper treatment.
Despite what you may have read on many inaccurate or vague websites, gluten is not a protein itself and it is possible to have a poor response to gluten and yet still test negative for celiac disease. Understanding what gluten is, where it is found, how it can cause damage within the body and how to avoid it is an important step in mastering the gluten-free lifestyle.
One of the first steps in testing for gluten intolerance should include a blood test to look for raised antibodies and other biomarkers to determine if the patient has celiac disease. Keep in mind a negative blood test doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have a gluten intolerance of some kind. There are many things to consider both before and after testing.
If you’re confused and frustrated about whether or not you can eat oats on a gluten-free diet, I understand. It is not a simple topic, and there are few cut and dry right or wrong answers. I’ll try to provide some clarity on this confusing and often controversial topic. Do Oats Contain Gluten? In the
We all have bacteria in our intestines. However, we have much more bacteria in our colon, or large intestine, than we have in our small intestine. If the small intestine develops a similar amount and type of bacteria as the colon, this can lead to several potentially serious problems. When this happens, it is called
