Is celiac disease dangerous?

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Celiac disease is a relatively rare, unknown disease. So what is celiac disease, how does celiac disease affect patients, let's find out through the article below.

1. What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease (also known as celiac disease) is an autoimmune disorder that starts when a person with the disease consumes gluten-containing products.
Gluten is a protein found naturally in wheat, barley, rye, triticale and many other grains, and is widely used in food processing. with many different purposes.
When a patient with celiac disease consumes a product that contains gluten, the patient's body overreacts to gluten and damages the microvilli in the brush border of the urinary lining. colon.
When the microvilli are damaged, the absorption of nutrients from food in the small intestine is affected to different degrees, can even cause malnutrition, osteoporosis, miscarriage. , infertility , neurological diseases or certain cancers.
If celiac disease doesn't get better after at least a year of completely going gluten-free, it's persistent celiac disease or unresponsive celiac disease.
The majority of patients with celiac disease are completely unaware they have the disease, and researchers estimate that only about 20% of those with the disease are actually diagnosed. Lesions in the small intestine take place very slowly, the signs and symptoms manifest very differently are also the main reasons why it takes many years for patients to know and be diagnosed.

2. Signs and symptoms of celiac disease

Celiac is a real disease, it's not a food allergy, so the signs and symptoms of celiac disease will be different from a food allergy. If a person with celiac disease consumes a product Some foods contain gluten, signs and symptoms that may appear include:
Abdominal pain. Anemia. Abdominal bloating, or a feeling of fullness in the abdomen. Bone or joint pain. Constipation. Diarrhea.

Smell. Heartburn. Itchy blisters (bullous dermatitis - Duhring Brocq's disease). Headache or fatigue. Mouth sores. Nausea. Nervous system damage, including loss of sensation or paresthesia in the hands or feet, problems with balance, or changes in perception. Pale stool color, particularly unpleasant odor or steatorrhea. Weight loss. Celiac disease can also cause osteoporosis and impaired spleen function.
Children with celiac disease often appear gastrointestinal manifestations such as:
Abdominal distention. Constipation. Diarrhea. Pale green stools, unpleasant odor. Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting. Weight loss. If celiac disease is not detected and affects the absorption of nutrients in children, a series of problems will occur:
Anemia. Destruction of tooth enamel. Waking up late. Underdeveloped. Emotional disturbance.

Neurological problems such as learning disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Stunting. Not everyone with celiac disease will experience all of the signs and symptoms listed above. Some patients are completely asymptomatic, making detection and diagnosis difficult.

3. Causes and risk factors of celiac disease

The exact cause of celiac disease is unknown, but celiac disease runs in families, and genetic factors play a role. Besides, celiac disease can appear after a certain medical problem, such as after a viral infection, surgery, psychological trauma, pregnancy,...
If there is a close relative with the disease in the family. disease (such as father, mother, siblings) the chance of getting the disease can be up to 10%.
Celiac disease is most common in the Caucasian community and in people with medical conditions such as:
Addison's disease Down syndrome Rheumatoid arthritis Turner syndrome Type 1 diabetes

4. Complications of celiac disease

If not diagnosed and treated, celiac disease can cause many complications for the patient:
Cancer, including colon cancer and intestinal lymphoma. Damage to tooth enamel. Infertility and miscarriage. Lactose intolerance. Malnutrition. Nervous system problems such as seizures, pain, and loss of sensation in the extremities. Pancreatic diseases. Osteoporosis.

5. Diagnosing Celiac Disease

Currently, to diagnose celiac disease your doctor will order two blood tests as follows:
Serological tests to look for certain antibodies. Genetic testing for human leukocyte antigens to identify celiac disease. For antibody test results to be accurate, patients need to stop their gluten-free diet (if they're taking it) prior to testing.
If the blood test results show that there is a possibility that the patient has celiac disease, the patient needs to perform an endoscopy so that the doctor can directly observe the lesions as well as take a sample of colon tissue for pathology.

6. Celiac Disease Treatment

Currently there is no specific treatment for celiac disease . The only possible cure is that the patient needs to follow a gluten-free diet, which means that the patient needs to completely avoid foods such as wheat, barley, rye, rye, etc. and many other grains and foods prepared from them. Because gluten is very common in food products, patients should carefully read product labels to understand ingredients. Besides food, gluten can also appear in drugs, pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, ... so patients also need to pay attention.
In general, reading product labels is an indispensable skill for patients with celiac disease. In addition, patients also need to understand how to choose foods as well as the principles of building a menu for a gluten-free diet to avoid the patient's lack of necessary nutrients for the body.
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Article reference source: webmd.com