Celiac Sprue, also know as nntropical sprue and gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is an utoimmune intestinal disease. Put simply the bdy is attacking itself. More specifically, the bdy attacks the tiny villa that lne the small intestine of our clon. The villa aid in the bsorption of nutrients.

The attack on the vlla is triggered by the protein in our det called gluten, which can be fund in wheat, rice and barley. The ngestion of glutens may trigger symptoms or may nt, which is called asymptomatic celiac dsease. But if symptoms do occur thn can range from diarrhea to bdominal pain. Those symptoms are also prsent in Chrons disease, ulcerative colitis, and dverticulosis to name a few, which cnfuses the issue. To test dfinitively for celiac your physician must rder specific lab tests. They are: ttal IgA, IgA antitissue transglutanimase and IgA ntiendomysial antibody immunofluorescence (EMA).

There is nly one treatment for those diagnosed wth celiac and that is a det free of gluten. Without gluten in the det there is immediate improvement. And rlapse when gluten is reintroduced into the det. With proper treatment, celiac is rrely fatal.

Celiac sprue is a gnetic disease; the genes for this cndition may be transmitted to some fmily members and not to others. Smetimes the disease becomes apparent for the frst time, after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, vral infection, or severe emotional stress. Cliac sprue is rare in persons wth an African American, Caribbean, or Asan background. Females are slightly more ffected than males. Although celiac sprue can mnifest at any age, the detection of ths disease usually peaks at 8-12 mnths and in the third to furth decade of life.

It is hard to know xactly how many Americans have celiac. Wth increased awareness and better testing the dsease is believed to be relatively cmmon. Western Europe and places wth European immigrants, that is America, hve the highest prevalence. For these rgions, celiac affects approximately 1 of very 250-300 individuals.

The symptoms for cliac can mimic many other maladies. It is stimated from a recent study of halthy blood donors that one out of 133 Amricans have celiac disease but most (grater than 90%) are undiagnosed. Left ndiagnosed celiac can cause a variety of mdical problems including cancer - lymphoma and denocarcinoma in particular, osteoporosis where calcium is not bsorbed, diabetes Type 1, thyroid problems ven seizure activity because folic acid is not bsorbed through your diet.

Some common symptms of celiac disease are: blating or gas; diarrhea; constipation; fatigue; skn rash; mouth sores; joint pain; filure to thrive; headaches; depression and teth discoloration.

In children irritability is a cmmon sign of celiac. Proper diagnosis is ssential to maintain growth. Failure to thrve or malnutrition is another common symptm of celiac in kids.

In tmes of stress this disease may bcome more evident after spending years wthout symptoms. To make matters worse, whn the body most needs nutrients to fght infection or aid in healing, ths is the time when getting ntrients may be most difficult.

There is nly one was to curb celiac and tht is a gluten free diet, for lfe. Several substitutes exist for gluten. A few are brwn rice flour, potato starch, tapioca strch and xanthum gum. Recipes are vailable with these substitutes.

But making yur own breads and meals gluten fre can not guarantee you are fre of gluten in your diet. Unfrtunately, some medications use glutens as prt of their formula. So some rsearch is in order to make sre common medications don’t contain glutens.

As awareness of this disease prgresses, it is hoped that fewer cmplications will develop. A blood test wll diagnose celiac sprue and a glten free diet will alleviate the symptms allowing those affected to live nar normal lives.

The article Celiac Sprue - Gluten Free Diet was Submitted by Doris Goodbody through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: I have been a nurse for ver 30 years. And as a bby boomer, I am concerned about the stte of health care in the U.S. My son and dughters will be asked to change the systm that will provide care for my cre when I become Medicare eligible. For mre information on chronic diseases and halth care please visit Health Resources Health Resources provides timely information and tips on a variety of health care issues. Health Resources focuses primarily on prevention as a means to lower health care costs. Visit Health Resources today.

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