Abdominal pain and diarrhea can be a nightmarish condition, especially during the weekdays as your workload piles up and you're torn between your responsibilities and your health. But you'll need to look beyond the clichéd 'indigestion' frame of mind and check whether there's some other disease at play, like celiac disease.
What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is a condition that affects the digestive system. It causes damage to the lining of the small intestine, hampering proper absorption of vital nutrients into the body. The cause for this is an allergy to certain types of food.
Celiac Disease - Why Does It Occur?
Celiac disease (otherwise known as celiac sprue, non-tropical sprue, or gluten-sensitive enteropathy) is caused by an intolerance to gluten, the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. This intolerance triggers an autoimmune reaction - the body turns its defense system against itself, causing damage to healthy tissues and cells.
In the case of celiac disease, the autoimmune reaction damages the villi, the tiny hair-like projection that lines the small intestine. The villi normally allow the small intestine to absorb nutrients into the body. People with celiac disease will generally be unable to absorb nutrients properly because of damaged villi.
The exact reasons for this gluten intolerance are not known, although the condition is considered to be hereditary. People who have family members with gluten intolerance are considered to be more at risk. Some people may not develop the disease even well into adulthood. It is believed that people who have been breast-fed for longer periods do not get it till later in life. People of European descent have a higher risk of developing this condition, but it is not confined to any race or region. People all over the world may suffer from gluten intolerance.
Symptoms of Celiac Disease
The symptoms of this disease may manifest themselves in different ways in different people. There are different types of symptoms involved with celiac disease. In some people, they may be mild and in others they may be progressively worse. This differs based on the degree of malabsorption. Sometimes, malnutrition can occur due to vitamin and mineral deficiency that this condition brings along, and these may bring out secondary symptoms along with the major ones. For instance, while some people may develop diarrhea, some people may have constipation.
The following are some of the common symptoms:
- Abdominal pain and bloating
- Chronic Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Flatulence
- Pale, foul-smelling, fatty stool
- Weight loss
The villi lining the intestine play an important role in the absorption of fat. Celiac disease disrupts the body's ability to digest fat. It can also affect the body's ability to break down lactose, which is the primary sugar in milk. For this reason, people with this condition may develop allergy to dairy products, known as lactose intolerance.
As celiac disease affects the ability to digest many nutrients, children with this condition may manifest the symptoms such as delayed puberty, stunted growth, and defects in teeth.
As the disease progresses, the affected people may experience:
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Increased Bruising
- Mouth ulcers
- Hair loss
- Muscle Cramps
- Nose Bleeds
- Seizures
- Dermatitis Herpetiformis (a skin condition)
Other Associated Conditions and Diseases
The people who suffer from celiac disease generally are also prone to certain other diseases or conditions. This is because, as stated above, autoimmune disorders can cause celiac disease. So, a preexisting condition may be acting as a trigger. Some of the common diseases associated with celiac disease are:
- Autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis
- Addison disease
- Down syndrome
- Intestinal cancer
- Thyroid disease
- Type 1 diabetes
Celiac disease can mainly be countered by following a low-gluten diet. The disease can prove to be tricky for people of Christian faith, because the sacramental bread given in churches is normally high in gluten. The bread is made from wheat, and it contains 10% to 13% gluten. There are low-gluten options available that people who are genetically prone to celiac disease can opt for.
Although the disease can be treated, it should be detected early, before the symptoms grow worse, for the individual's well-being.
