How Does Celiac Disease Affect Your Body?
by Liz Smith
Celiac disease is an auto immune disorder in which the small intestine reacts to the presence of protein found naturally in wheat, rye and barley. This protein is called gluten and, for unknown reasons, it causes allergic reactions in the small intestines, which – when left untreated – could lead to serious health problems.
When inside the body, the immune system views gluten as a threat thereby releasing antibodies to fight it, as its automatic reaction. Nevertheless, as the anti-bodies destroy gluten, it also damages the villi which are found in the intestine.
Villus is a small projection responsible for the absorption of nutrients and their delivery into the bloodstream for circulation. When the villi are damaged, the absorption of the essential nutrients from food eaten is compromised. Thus, celiac disease or gluten allergy can damage the small intestine and at the same time, wreaks havoc to the whole body.
Another condition that may arise from gluten-induced allergic reaction in the small intestine is ‘leaky gut’ syndrome. This is seriously dangerous because the intestines expand, which allows entry of not only the nutrients but toxic substances as well. As this happens, the body struggles to fight the toxins and most often ends up incurring damage to the body.
Strange it may seem, celiac disease is among the most common illnesses the world faces, but its early diagnosis remains evasive. Quite often, the symptoms are misunderstood to be another complication until such time that the damage to the body is already irreversible. For instance, a person who is supposedly allergic to gluten may consume foods containing gluten and yet not experience any allergic reactions for quite some time. However, in an abrupt turn of events, the person suffers from a chronic allergic reaction arising from auto immune response.
Medical experts suggest that environmental factors, besides genes and heredity, may play a critical role in the onset of celiac disease. There are two possible scenarios. One, a person may suffer from symptoms associated with celiac disease and yet, does not have it. The second situation is a person who experiences different symptoms and actually suffers from celiac disease, but is not diagnosed early.
There is no exemption to this disease. Anyone is vulnerable. No race, culture or nationality is immune from it. Nor is there a limit to the ages of people stricken. Further, the symptoms vary from one person to another and this is what makes the diagnosis difficult.
There are two classifications of the symptoms of this disease. These are the gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal symptoms. When it comes to children, they may show different set of symptoms which may include delayed puberty and failure to concentrate.
Dermatitis herpetiformis, a kind of skin infection, is closely linked to celiac disease, although the correlation between skin infection and allergic reaction in the small intestine is a mystery. As of now, the only effective cure is prevention. People who are allergic to gluten are admonished to eradicate it from their diet.
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