While many have heard about celiac disease, many are unfamiliar with its causes, effects, and complications. Celiac disease is actually a very serious genetic autoimmune disease that is coming to light worldwide over a long history of misdiagnosis. It’s estimated that nearly 1% of the population of the United States of America have celiac disease.
That means nearly three million people, and growing. But, almost 83% of those with the disease will go unaware of it without diagnosis, as it can take up to a decade for symptoms to emerge for proper diagnosis. Many Americans have lived up into their senior years either not knowing they have celiac disease. However, inattention to this ailment can lead to some serious outcomes, and as a condition, celiac disease deserves widespread understanding.
How Celiac Disease Works
Celiac disease is a class of digestive disorder in the small intestine that is triggered by eating foods containing gluten. Gluten is the protein that naturally occurs in wheat, barley and rye grains. Gluten, therefore, can be found in many types of bread, pasta and pastries, but it can also be found in some hygienic products, vitamin supplements and medicines.
During digestion, the gluten triggers an immune response in the lower intestine, causing inflammation. Over time, the intestinal lining becomes damaged from this inflammation, reducing its ability to absorb nutrients.
Celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune disease, which means you don’t just catch it; you inherit the disease from birth, but the symptoms may not emerge immediately. However, the disease is considered chronic, and you will not lose those symptoms that have emerged. Even if you do not experience them in the short term, the long-term effects can be serious.
Celiac Disease is Not a Gluten Allergy
We touched earlier on how many go unaware of their celiac disease. And, this can be attributed to another condition that has led many to a gluten free diet: gluten sensitivity. Gluten sensitivity is an allergic reaction to the gluten in wheat and rye, and causes similar short-term symptoms.
However, the reaction is limited to the body’s refusal to absorb the protein, and does not have the same corresponding inflammation and damage that celiac disease has. While gluten sensitivity should also be treated with care, celiac disease deserves a much more grave understanding for the complications that follow.
Celiac Disease Damages More Than Your Intestine
The first signs of celiac disease are easily confused with other afflictions, including gluten sensitivity. You may experience
- Bloating
- Upset stomach
- Bowel complications including both constipation or diarrhea
- Fatigue and headaches
However, celiac disease can affect other parts of the body as well. More key symptoms that help diagnose the disease are irregularities in the enzymes produced by the liver. You may experience neurological complications from celiac disease, including numbness or tingling in your limbs. Celiac disease can also cause infertility, rashes on the skin and other ailments.
The damage comes from your body’s inability to properly absorb the nutrients it needs to regulate its many functions. Every organ of the body can be affected by the damage done by celiac disease, raising the risk of diabetes, cancers, epilepsy, stroke and heart failure.
The Number of Celiac Disease Cases Will Increase Over Time
Being a genetic disease, the sad fact is that the number of case files on celiac disease will only rise as better diagnostic techniques emerge. Celiac disease has spread over generations, and early detection and treatment can only allow the patient to cooperate with the disease and prevent the emergence of additional illnesses.
Having a history of celiac disease in your family does not guarantee that you will also suffer from it, but it does pose a risk of developing in later life or later generations. However, now that celiac disease is becoming more well understood due to its spotlight, it is being studied in detail to find its causes and develop additional treatment. Until those studies bear fruit, there is only one solution for those with celiac disease.
Celiac Disease Can Only Be Treated One Way
Consider it a blessing, or a curse, but celiac disease has only one real treatment: the removal of gluten from the diet. The term gluten-free was not just conceived as a matter of preference, it has a real medical implication. Any product at Outrageous Baking, or any other bakery, that is labeled as “gluten-free” must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. That’s .002% of a serving, which is considered the safe threshold of gluten consumption.
Outrageous Baking Cares
Of course, the gluten free store at Outrageous Baking offers treats that are gluten-free and dairy free exclusively – sweet breads and flour mixes with no wheat or rye gluten contamination, to guarantee safe consumption for those afflicted by celiac disease, gluten intolerance or simply seeking a healthier avenue for a delicious treat! Come visit us today and enjoy the sweeter things (without the gluten!)
