Coeliac disease, also known as celiac disease, is a common bowel condition that is caused by intolerance to a protein called gluten. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, and barley, which are often used to make foods such as bread, pasta, and biscuits. Some symptoms may be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or wheat intolerance, while others may be put down to stress, or getting older. As a consequence, it can take some time before an accurate diagnosis is sought, or made. Following diagnosis and commencement of the gluten-free diet these symptoms cease.
Coeliac disease is a lifelong condition of the small intestine (bowel). Gluten is a mixture of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin. It is found in wheat, barley and rye. When combined with water gluten becomes sticky and forms the familiar texture of dough. gluten causes the immune system to produce antibodies that attack the delicate lining of the bowel, which is responsible for absorbing nutrients and vitamins from food.
Coeliac disease is caused by a reaction to gliadin, a gluten protein found in wheat (and similar proteins of the tribe Triticeae which includes other cultivars such as barley and rye). Upon exposure to gliadin, the enzyme tissue transglutaminase modifies the protein, and the immune system cross-reacts with the bowel tissue, causing an inflammatory reaction. That leads to flattening of the lining of the small intestine, which interferes with the absorption of nutrients. The only effective treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet. While the disease is caused by a reaction to wheat proteins, it is not the same as wheat allergy.
There's no cure for coeliac disease, but it can be controlled by following a gluten-free diet for life. This allows the damaged villi to recover and nutrients can then be absorbed normally again and symptoms disappear.
The risk of someone with coeliac disease developing bowel cancer is believed to be no more than that of someone who doesn't have coeliac disease, provided they stick to a gluten-free diet.
If you have celiac disease and eat foods with gluten, your immune system responds by damaging the small intestine. Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye and barley. It is found mainly in foods but may also be in other products like medicines, vitamins and even the glue on stamps and envelopes.
Coeliac disease is an inflammatory disease of the upper small intestine and results from gluten ingestion in genetically susceptible individuals. Inflammation may lead to the malabsorption of several important nutrients. Clinical and mucosal recovery after institution of a gluten free diet is objective evidence that the enteropathy is gluten induced. In 1950, Dicke observed the central role of gluten in the pathogenesis of coeliac disease Coeliac disease is closely related to dermatitis herpetiformis.In dermatitis herpetiformis, skin rash and a similar small intestinal enteropathy to that of coeliac disease are typically present, and both respond to withdrawal of gluten.
In people with coeliac disease, the small intestine becomes inflamed when foods containing gluten are consumed. This inflammation damages the lining of the small intestine, which normally has tiny, finger-like projections called villi that are responsible for absorbing nutrients from food. When the villi are damaged, they may flatten out, making it much more difficult for you to absorb nutrients.
Coeliac disease is a genetic disease, meaning that it runs in families. Sometimes the disease is triggered, or becomes active for the first time, after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.
