Conventional Medicine: Celiac Disease (Gluten Intolerance)

Gluten intolerance (Celiac) is an intestinal allergy to gluten, which can affect people of all ages with equal incidence in both sexes. The disease causes inflammation and aplasia of the small intestine that reduces the ability to absorb nutrients and can lead to dangerous complications if not diagnosed and treated early. Let's learn about this disease together in the article below.

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• 1. What is Celiac Disease?
• 2. Symptoms of Celiac Disease
• 3. Diagnosis of Celiac Disease
• 4. Treatment
• 5. Life mode

1. What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is a condition that occurs due to a decrease in the ability of the digestive tract to absorb certain foods. People with Celiac disease often experience symptoms when eating bread, pizza or grains such as barley and rye... Because these foods contain a protein called gluten .

Gluten damages the intestinal tract of Celiac patients. As a result, the digestive tract's ability to absorb nutrients is reduced. Celiac disease affects both adults and children.

Celiac Disease – Conventional Medicine: Celiac Disease (Gluten Intolerance)

2. Symptoms of Celiac Disease

Some Celiac patients have no symptoms. Others experience symptoms such as:

• Abdominal pain .
• Diarrhea.
• Increase intestinal motility.
• Weight loss.
• Abdominal bloating, flatulence.
• Anorexia .
• Belching.
• Itchy rash on the skin.
• Growth retardation (in children).

These symptoms can also be seen in many other diseases. So if you experience any of the above symptoms, visit a medical facility for an accurate diagnosis.

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3. Diagnosis of Celiac Disease

In addition to physical examination and medical history, there are tests that help diagnose Celiac disease such as:

• Blood tests : A blood test looks at the proteins the body makes when it's digested. People with Celiac disease often have more antibodies to gluten than normal people. Therefore, to avoid an accurate diagnosis, patients are often asked to follow a gluten -free diet for several weeks prior to the test.
• Gastrointestinal endoscopy, with biopsy : An endoscope consisting of a flexible tube containing a camera at the end of the tube. The endoscope is inserted into the gastrointestinal tract to examine the surface of the small intestine. Through special tools, it is possible to take a small tissue sample to examine under the microscope to diagnose disease.

Gastrointestinal endoscopy to take samples for Celiac disease

4. Treatment

The most effective treatment is to stop eating gluten-free foods. This is often quite difficult to get used to. Gluten is found in common foods such as:

Limit eating foods containing gluten to prevent Celiac disease

• Bread, pasta, cakes and some cereals.
• Sauces and condiments.
• Beer, malt.

In the early stages, patients also need to limit milk, cheese and other dairy-based foods. These food groups often take a long time to digest, affecting the healing of the intestinal tract after injury. After the intestinal damage stabilizes you can use these foods again.

Gluten-free alternatives such as:

• Rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans.
• Fruits and vegetables.

Some foods that are actively processed to remove gluten are also safe for patients. During the initial treatment period, the doctor may need to prescribe additional groups of vitamin supplements to supplement the patient's needs while changing the diet.

5. Life mode

Patients usually feel an improvement in their symptoms after 2 weeks of treatment with a change to a gluten-free diet. However, most patients have to put in a lot of effort and make major lifestyle changes to maintain a gluten-free diet.

Nutritionists can help you change and diversify foods that are still gluten-free.

The avoidance of foods containing gluten should be maintained continuously. Visits to your doctor and repeat blood tests once a year are necessary to assess your body's response to your current diet.

The hardest part of the regimen is changing the diet almost completely. However, now many foods have been produced to remove gluten ingredients specifically for Celiac patients. Therefore, getting used to the new diet is also more convenient than before.

Above is the basic information about Celiac disease . Hope to provide initial information to help readers easily continue to learn more about this particular disease. Looking forward to receiving your feedback as well as accompanying you in the next articles.