Essay about Celiac Disease - 2075 Words

Celiac disease (CD) is marked by an inability to absorb gluten. Gluten, also known as glutenin, is a protein found in â€Å"wheat, rye, barley, spelt, and triticale† (Turner and Torkos). The problem with the disease is that it is an â€Å"autoimmune disorder in which the immune system responds to gluten by damaging the small intestine† (Turner and Torkos). This damage to the small intestine is â€Å"characterized by villous atrophy† in people who are â€Å"genetically susceptible† (Parnell and Ciclitira). The disorder may latent for years and then suddenly cause horrendous symptoms that may be misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome. There is danger in a misdiagnosis because many high fiber foods used to help control irritable bowel syndrome are gluten†¦show more content†¦At her advanced age, Florence’s doctor decided to inject plastic into the bones to provide stable strength and to ensure that future breaks would not occur. Weeks later, she had a scope done, checking the small intestine for damage to the mucosa and microvilli. The ending result was a diagnosis of celiac and a decision that she must be put on a gluten-free diet for the rest of her natural life (Florence). With celiac disease, many negative outcomes are possible and many more are probable. Further research into celiac disease substantiates the belief that further research, public awareness, and knowledge are imperative in discovering how to deal with the disease and how to spread awareness of this very serious problem. The small intestine is lined with microvilli (sing. microvillus) and mucosa that entrap and absorb the vital nutrients the body needs to sustain healthy function. With celiac patients, consuming gluten-containing foods causes the breakdown of these microvilli and the mucosa, causing malnutrition through the inability to absorb the necessary vitamins and minerals. As celiac is an autoimmune disorder, it stands to reason that the antibo dies are attacking the small intestine and are therefore able to be detected in the blood. This reasoning has been discovered to be true and has become â€Å"anShow MoreRelatedCeliac Disease955 Words   |  4 PagesCeliac disease: an often missed diagnosis Commonly referred to as wheat allergy, celiac disease is not an allergic disorder; rather it is actually intolerance to gluten, a protein in wheat. It is also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue and gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Celiac disease occurs in people who have a genetic susceptibility. It was considered a north European disease initially but now it has a high prevalence in all the continents. In north- India it affects 1 in 200-300 individualsRead MoreCeliac Disease8765 Words   |  36 Pages50 Celiac Disease Dascha C. Weir, MD Ciaran Kelly, MD Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated enteropathy secondary to permanent sensitivity to wheat gluten and related proteins in rye and barley. It results in characteristic histologic changes consisting of inï ¬â€šammation, crypt hyperplasia, and villous atrophy of the small intestine in genetically susceptible individuals. Signiï ¬ cant variability in the clinical presentation of CD in the pediatric population complicates recognition ofRead MoreCeliac Disease : A Disease2422 Words   |  10 Pages Celiac disease, which is also called coeliac disease, is a genetic autoimmune disease that injures the small intestine. Gluten is a protein that is in some wheat, barley, and rye. It is also a new fad diet and being gluten intolerant is something a majority of the population may claim. However, for those who really have celiac disease it is more serious. In fact, Despite popular belief, celiac disease is a serious genetic autoimmune disease, not the latest fad diet, according to the organizationRead MoreEssay on Celiac Disease1284 Words   |  6 PagesNature of the disease Celiac disease is a fairly common disease but is not very well known. Celiac disease, or celiac sprue, is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten (Hill, Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of celiac disease in children, 2011). Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats. People with celiac disease who eat foods containing gluten experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage to the inner surface of theRead MoreThe Pathophysiology Of Celiac Disease2023 Words   |  9 Pages Celiac disease is a T-cell-mediated, autoimmune, genetic illness that targets the small intestine in which the absorption of nutrients, particularly fats, is impaired. The disease has been described as â€Å"a permanent intolerance to ingested gluten that damages the small intestine, characteristically inducing crypt hyperplasia and villous atrophy, and typically resolves with removal of gluten from the diet.† (AJN 34). Celiac disease appears to be more prevalent in women than in men. Genetic and immuneRead MoreSummary Of Shackled By Celiac Disease Essay1655 Words   |  7 PagesShackled by Celiac Disease As a tear slips down her cheek, five-year-old Addi continues with her hair-raising screams. For two nights now, she has had miserable abdominal pain. Clueless as to why, her helpless mother tries to soothe her frazzled daughter. Switching her diet, checking her stool, watching her closely, mom finds nothing out of the ordinary. So the question remains, what is wrong? Why these sudden sleepless nights? After reading a medical website or paper, you miraculously come to theRead MoreDiagnostic Study On Celiac Disease836 Words   |  4 Pagescomplement the clinical history and physical examination in the patients with gastrointestinal diseases. -Gastrointestinal diseases:  Though iron is absorbed throughout the intestine, it is maximally absorbed in the duodenum. Diseases involving the duodenum – Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease and giardiasis, thereby are important etiologies. Increased gastrointestinal loss as seen in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), cow’s milk protein induced colitis and chronic use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatoryRead MoreTaking a Look at Celiac Disease752 Words   |  3 PagesDigestive diseases range from the occasional upset stomach to the more life-threatening cancers and infections within the liver, the gallbladder, and the pancreas. Most digestive diseases are prevalent in the elderly. Intestinal infections such as gastroenteritis and appendicitis are higher in among infants and children. Other diseases like hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease, and chronic liver disease, occur more commonly among teenagers and middle-aged adults. The celiac disease is a digestiveRead MoreSymptoms And Treatment Of Celiac Disease1068 Words   |  5 Pages Celiac disease (CD) is defined as a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by small intestine mucosal damage in response to the ingestion of dietary gluten (proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye) in genetically predisposed individuals that improves with strict adherence to a gluten-free diet (Kelly, et al., 2015; Woodward, 2016; Meyer Rosenblum, 2016; Isaac, et al. 2016; Hill, 2016). Ludvigsson, et al. (2013) explain that while the symptoms of celiac disease have been described in medicalRead MoreCeliac Disease : An Autoimmune Disorder1728 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder which is triggered by consumption of a dietary protein called gluten. Celiac disease causes the immune system to react abnormally to gluten. This immune response can lead to damage of the small intestines therefore causing malabsorption of vital nutrients. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye). Celiac disease is also referred to as celiac sprue, gluten-sensitivity and non-tropical sprue. Gluten is