Do I Have Celiac Disease?

This is the most common question asked by an individual to himself when he hears about symptoms of celiac disease. Celiac disease is a type of autoimmune small intestine disorder that’s transmitted from one person to another genetically irrespective of their age. The common symptoms of celiac disease are chronic diarrhea, fatigue, and poor growth, especially in children. There is a variety of symptoms that differs from one to another person related to both nonintestinal and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Generally, this disease is caused due to the reaction of gliadin which is abundant in wheat, rye, and barley. The reaction will modify the protein, while the immune system reacts to this protein with small bowel tissue that results in a provocative reaction. Hence the villi lining on the small intestine would truncate, which interferes with nutrients absorption in the body. The gluten-free regimen is the only known best and effective treatment for celiac disease. This condition is often referred to by various names like coeliac disease, celiac or coeliac sprue, gluten intolerance, nontropical sprue, gluten-sensitive Enteropathy, or gluten Enteropathy.

Today with the advancement in the medical field one can use a variety of tests to diagnose celiac disease. The symptoms level would determine the order of tests but it would their value, in case if the patient has opted for gluten-free regimen. The intestinal damage would be healed under one or two weeks, after the subsequent removal of gluten dietary protein from the human body. Later the antibody levels in an individual’s body decline over a period of time. The different types adopted to diagnose the celiac disease are blood tests, endoscopy, pathology, and others.

A blood test is the most preferred and affordable diagnosis method to identify the level of celiac disease. The IgA antibody will help in detecting celiac disease with specificity and sensitivity. But the blood tests in the case of children may not be reliable for those aged below five as they are based on ELISA or Indirect Immunofluorescence. Upper Endoscopy may yield accurate results and help in diagnosing celiac disease irrespective of the patient’s age. At the same, it is very important on part of the physician or doctor to obtain multiple samples from the duodenum. The majority of the individuals with celiac diseases have small bowel which might appear normal in endoscopy. But this method is replaced effectively by fiber optical endoscopy, regarded for its minimum errors and high sensitivity.

Pathology is distinguished by Marsh Classification like Marsh Stage 0 to Marsh Stage 4. These changes would improve after reversing the effect of gluten proteins in the human body. In severe cases after pathology endoscopy would be performed to confirm the diagnosis. But this can’t be afforded by everyone and hence they opt for normal serology for disease confirmation.

Gluten-free dietary habits are the reliable method and there are no medications to save an individual to protect his intestine from gluten impact. By sincerely adhering to a balanced gluten-free diet, one can easily find a resolution to various health symptoms; depending upon how quickly an individual starts to fit in the diets free from dietary protein, gluten.