Celiac Disease
Official Website of Celiac-Disease.com
There are a huge number of Celiac Disease organizations, centers, support groups, and other sources for information regarding Celiac Disease and living a gluten-free lifestyle.
Below you’ll find a collection of websites that I’ve put together. Over time I’m hoping to add to this list to help keep it as a useful resource. For a more detailed list, you’ll want to check out our Celiac support groups page and more!
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Celiac is an autoimmune disease that can develop at any point in life, from a newborn child to a senior adult. If there is a history of the disease within the family, there are greater risks for others to develop the disease as well. For a child who has been diagnosed with celiac disease, it can be devastating, as it entirely alters what he can eat, making him different from his peers.
While it is not exactly known what causes Celiac Disease, it is known that it affects the villi located in the small intestines. The villi are tiny finger-like projections that absorb gluten and other proteins for the body to use, including those from wheat, rye, barley, and other grains. If the disease is left untreated, the body’s ability to absorb gluten correctly is altered, thus making it dangerous for a child to eat anything containing gluten.
The problem is that many children will go without diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease because it is usually passed off as a stomach virus or some other intestinal disorder. It is not until the disease has progressed that a child is correctly diagnosed.
There are many signs and symptoms of celiac disease. It is important to know that the disease can affect each person differently. This is one of the causes of delayed diagnosis. Investigate having your child checked for celiac if he displays one or more of the following signs and symptoms:
Even if symptoms appear to come and go, meaning your child feels terrible one day and better the next day, do not ignore what he is feeling. Because celiac is a chronic disease, this will happen but does not make the disease any less serious.
There are many conditions that are often associated with celiac disease. Some of these include:
This means that if a child has celiac disease, he is more susceptible to contracting one or more of the above conditions as well. This is mainly due to the fact that the body is not receiving the proper nutrition it needs to function, and because of the damage to the small intestines. That is why it is important to get a diagnosis made as quickly as possible.
There are four main blood tests used to diagnose celiac disease. The four together are called the “Celiac Blood Panel.” These include:
If one or more of these tests come back positive for malabsorption, a biopsy may be ordered to further confirm the disease. A biopsy entails taking small pieces of tissue from the villi to look for damage. All of this helps a physician make a correct diagnosis of the disease.
Other tests may be ordered in addition to the above, including stool testing, vitamin D levels, and others. These will be ordered based on the signs and symptoms presented.
A child that suffers from celiac disease must follow a gluten-free diet for the rest of his life. This is the only way for the villi to heal and stay healed. A gluten-free diet means you must avoid all foods, drinks, and medications that contain any wheat, rye, barley, or oats. Food labels must be read very carefully so to avoid any types of these grains. Wheat and barley are especially abundant in our diet, thus making this a difficult diet to keep. However, with planning and education, it can be done.
There are vitamins and minerals that can also be prescribed to help with the nutritional deficiencies that are often present with the disease. Many times, it is difficult to get a child to take these supplements. There are several forms of these available, such as in liquid form, that can be added to certain foods.
A child with this disease is very likely to feel angry for having this disease and not being able to eat as all the other kids. If there is depression involved, please seek counseling as well. There are also several online support groups that can provide tips for managing the disease.
There is no way to prevent developing this disease. The only issue is to have it diagnosed quickly so that the change in diet can begin immediately. A child will need plenty of support, especially in the initial stage of diagnosis.
Note: This article is not intended to be medical advice. Always contact your child’s pediatrician for proper diagnosis, treatment, and care of your child.
Ever wonder which celebrities have Celiac Disease? I found myself wondering this recently and so naturally I decided to look into it a little further. I was initially surprised to find that there are several well known celebrities with celiac disease, but there is possibly an even larger number of celebrities who have been linked to the gluten-free diet. This is likely due to the common misconception that the gluten-free diet makes for a great weight loss plan.
I have created a list based upon my findings below and will attempt to keep this post updated as I come across new people to add to the list.
Know of any celebrities we are missing? Let us know in the comments below!
Somewhere in the ballpark of two million U.S. citizens have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease (or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, GSE), which is not an allergic condition, but an auto-immune response to the gluten protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, which are not labeled “gluten-free” on the grocery store shelves.
This results due to the absence of proper immunity to Gluten (2.18 million, based on a total population of 290,356,0285; or 1 out of 133 people, according to “A Summary of Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance,”). Moreover, an assortment of these allergic conditions indeed exists, though avoidance of gluten in all its forms has so far been the only practical treatment available.
Additionally, 30% of U.S. citizens carry the gene that is linked to celiac disease. Therefore, 30% of the population is at risk for developing Celiac Disease. Gluten is merely a common name for the proteins Gliadin and Glutenin, which comprise those found in barley, rye, and wheat. Along with starch, these are what make up these grass-related grains.
The abundance of gluten is quite astonishing, too. Four-firths of the protein composition in the wheat seed is that of gluten, which serves as an abundant source of organic protein around the world. Gluten is merely a name for proteins gliadin and glutenin. In addition, health food authorities and chemists alike obtain gluten to build the synthetic additives currently available and for purposes of research in order to create a far broader variety.
Rice and maize proteins, however, differ from wheat gluten. Though the proteins may be considered glutens, these proteins are deficient of all gliadin; the gliadin found in wheat gives reason to why wheat has such resiliency and adaptability. Accordingly, specific allergies will differ as a consequence.
Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not require standardized labels for foods in which gluten occurs naturally, the only caution for those who carry these allergies is avoidance; again, a lifetime gluten-free diet is the only treatment discovered thus far. So those allergic must rely upon the companies which disperse the gluten-free labels.
In mid-town Sacramento, CA, a gluten-free Specialty Store has opened on J street in Sacramento. This is just west of the 99 North / 80 East overpass. This store, the first-ever gluten-free Market in Northern California, opened on the weekend of July 12th & 13th, 2008.
Realize that, aside from those with Celiac Disease, many other sub-groups exist that benefit from a gluten-free diet; there are people who are allergic to gluten; some which are intolerant to gluten (statistically, 1 out of every 10 individuals in the United States); along with people with a sensitivity to gluten. Many medical and psychological support groups advocate for gluten-free diets for those with Autism, Aspergers, Chronic Fatigue, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Inflammatory Disorders, and many gastric issues.
To anyone who says they are too old to have Celiac Disease, a recent study shows that is not the case. In fact, according to a recent report over at Celiac.com, it looks like Celiac Disease is twice as common in the elderly (2.5 times to be exact) than in the younger population!
It appears the study was inspired by the lack of research which has been done on the elderly to date. Here is a small excerpt from their post:
This study shows that celiac disease is far more prevalent in elderly people than in the general population. To better detect and treat celiac disease in elderly populations, the doctors are encouraging the use of active case finding using blood tests, since undetected celiac disease can lead to serious complications and even early death.
I find this interesting, but it makes sense. It generally takes a traumatic event before Celiac Disease symptoms begin, so many young people may not have it yet, while the elderly have probably had at least 1 traumatic event throughout their lives.
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