Celiac Disease Overview

Celiac disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, which is found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. Oats may contain gluten as well. When someone with celiac disease eats foods containing gluten, an immune reaction occurs in the small intestine, resulting in damage to the surface of the small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients from food.

Eventually, decreased absorption of nutrients (malabsorption) can cause vitamin deficiencies that deprive your brain, nervous system, bones, liver and other organs of vital nourishment, which can lead to other illnesses. This is especially serious in children, who need proper nutrition to develop and grow. Also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue and gluten-sensitive enteropathy, celiac disease occurs in people who have a susceptibility to gluten intolerance. Some speculate that celiac disease has been around since humankind switched from a foraging diet of meat and nuts to a cultivated diet that included grains such as wheat. Nonetheless, it has only been in the last 50 years that researchers have gained a better understanding of the condition and how to treat it.

No treatment can eliminate celiac disease. However, you can effectively manage the disease through changing your diet.