What if there was a quiet, sometimes symptomless health condition that was silently causing cancer and malnutrition? And what this condition was frequently misdiagnosed and only the results were treated?
There is such a condition, and it’s called celiac disease. Celiac disease is sometimes called celiac sprue, and it’s an autoimmune disorder that damages the digestive system. It’s a reaction to gluten, a protein that can be difficult for the body to process. While the gastrointestinal symptoms of celiac disease can sometimes make it obvious, often celiac disease goes unnoticed until it results in symptoms that force people to take notice: symptoms like osteoporosis and cancer.
An Immune Reaction to Gluten Protein Causes Celiac Disease
Someone with celiac disease reacts to gliadin, a gluten protein found in wheat, barley, rye and related grains. The immune system reacts to this protein and causes a reaction in digestive tissues, particularly the villi that line the small intestine. Since these villi absorb nutrients from food, damage to the villi means that people who have celiac disease will not absorb nutrients as well as they could normally. Celiac disease needs to be treated with a gluten-free diet.
Reasons for the Low Diagnosis Rate for Celiac Disease
An astounding 95 percent of those with celiac likely go undiagnosed (National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse). Why aren’t people being diagnosed with this disorder that can wreak havoc on the system? Partially, it’s due to lack of awareness. It can take an average of 12 years for someone with celiac disease to be diagnosed with the disorder. While celiac can be diagnosed with a blood test and a biopsy, testing may not take place until years after symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, stomach pain, and nutrient deficiencies occur.
What Are The Symptoms of Celiac Disease?
The classic symptoms of celiac disease are diarrhea, stomach pain, delayed growth and weight loss. However, it is entirely possible to have celiac disease and exhibit none of these symptoms. Often, conventional medical doctors can be reluctant to test for celiac disease when the classic symptoms are not present. Those with celiac can feel chronically tired and are often malnourished because a damaged intestinal tract cannot absorb nutrients like calcium and vitamin D. Left untreated, celiac disease can lead to long term health issues like infertility, osteoporosis, and cancers of the digestive tract (Canadian Society of Intestinal Disorders).
Risk Factors for Diagnosis of Celiac Disease
The disease is most common in Caucasians, and the Canadian Society for Intestinal Research estimates that the prevalence in the general population is much higher than originally thought. In the population at large, one person in 133 will have celiac disease, and this number rises when talking about those who have relatives with the disease. Celiac disease is associated with other autoimmune disorders like type one diabetes and thyroid disease. One in ten people with these autoimmune disorders have celiac disease. Like many autoimmune disorders, celiac disease is both genetically inherited and environmentally-triggered. Most people diagnosed with celiac have a gene known as HLA-DQ2, and this gene is connected to an immune response to gliadin (Vader et al 2003).
Treating celiac disease requires no drugs. It does involve removing the offending protein from the diet, and this includes removing hidden sources of gluten as well. However, those who are going to take the antibody blood test should continue to eat gluten, since a gluten-free diet will result in no antibodies. Celiac disease is a disease that can masquerade as many other diseases. Those with chronic gastro-intestinal symptoms should be checked for celiac disease.
Sources:
Canadian Society of Intestinal Disorders. Celiac Disease. What are the signs and symptoms of celiac disease?
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.Celiac Disease Awareness.
Vader, Willemijn, Dariusz Stepniak, Yvonne Kooy et al. The HLA-DQ2 gene dose effect in celiac disease is directly related to the magnitude and breadth of gluten-specific T cell responses. PNAS October 14, 2003 vol. 100 no. 21 12390-12395
Tricia Edgar - Tricia Edgar is a gardener, environmental educator, and science writer from the Pacific Northwest.
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