Celiac Disease Research Paper

Words: 899
Pages: 4

Celiac disease is present in people with an intolerance to gluten. It can be hereditary or developed at any point in a person’s life and can only be treated with a gluten-free diet. Celiac disease is the inability of gluten to be digested and absorbed, therefore the small intestine cannot fully break down the gluten proteins, and in turn the villi become damaged. Celiac disease is more commonly being diagnosed as it becomes more prevalent, however it is not always recognized by the symptoms.
Celiac disease causes damage to, and restrains the functions of, the small intestine.
The small intestine is lined with villi and brush border that increase the surface area for absorption (Silverthorn, 2010). The small intestine is also the main site of digestion. Protein
…show more content…
Celiac disease is recognized by a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms. The main symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and malnutrition. It often goes unnoticed due to causing such nonspecific symptoms, that can be misinterpreted as many different issues, or can be self-diagnosed as being non-serious symptoms. The only current way to treat celiac disease is by sticking to a strict gluten-free diet. A gluten-free diet should relieve a person of any discomfort and reverse the majority of the internal damage (Rampertab et al., 2014). This diet includes the removal of wheat, barley, rye, pasta, bread, crackers, and many other foods and ingredients that contain gluten. Celiac disease is detected by serologic testing for antigliadin, antitransglutaminase and antiendomysium antibodies and followed up with a duodenal mucosal biopsy if necessary (Alberto et al., 2013). For people with celiac disease, when gluten is consumed, their immune system attacks the villi lining the small intestine, which, if not treated properly and immediately, can lead to very serious damage (Rampertab et al.,