Celiac disease

Celiac disease

Celiac disease is a chronic disease of the small intestine which means that you cannot tolerate gluten. Celiac disease is often referred to as gluten allergy, although this is not the correct medical term for the disease. Celiac disease causes problems such as frequent and loose stools, flatulence and abdominal pain. There is no cure for celiac disease, but a gluten-free diet will keep the condition in check.

What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease is considered an autoimmune disease where the body's own immune system attacks the small intestine and destroys the intestinal lining. The intestinal tufts are small growths on the intestinal mucosa that ensure that nutrients are absorbed from the intestine.

Gluten is a protein found in the most common cereals (wheat, spelt, barley and rye). If you stop eating gluten-containing food, the intestinal mucosa will usually normalize and the symptoms of celiac disease will disappear within weeks or months, depending on how long you have had the symptoms.

Celiac disease or gluten allergy?

Gluten allergy

Many people refer to celiac disease as a gluten allergy, but gluten allergy is not a separate medical term, only a term used colloquially. There is therefore no such thing as "gluten allergy", although many people still use this term for celiac disease.

Gluten sensitive

If you are gluten sensitive, you may have many of the same symptoms as with celiac disease, but with gluten sensitivity the tampons are not damaged or destroyed.

Wheat allergy

A wheat allergy causes allergic reactions when consuming wheat. If you react to wheat products, but still do not have celiac disease or are gluten sensitive, you may have a wheat allergy.

Causes of celiac disease

As with many autoimmune diseases, the cause of celiac disease is not completely known, but a hereditary tendency is seen. An excess of celiac disease has also been seen in certain diseases, such as diabetes, arthritis and other intestinal diseases.

Symptoms of celiac disease

• Diarrhea. The faeces are often greasy, grey-white and foul-smelling.

• Abdominal pain and flatulence

• Laxity

• Weight loss

• Children with celiac disease may have reduced growth, be irritable and generally be in poor shape.

• Anemia (eg iron deficiency anaemia)

You can have celiac disease without having any particular symptoms, and most people become symptom-free with a gluten-free diet.

Treatment of celiac disease

There are no medications for celiac disease. Celiac disease is treated with a lifelong gluten-free diet. It is important to ensure that the diet is versatile. A dietitian/nutritionist can help you with this.

Celiac disease can cause a lack of important nutrients due to poor absorption from the gut, and at the start it may be necessary to supplement the fat-soluble vitamins A and D, folic acid and iron. Some people who are diagnosed with celiac disease and who have had prolonged diarrhea react to lactose (milk sugar) and must also have a lactose-free diet for a period (1-3 months).

Sources: Norwegian Celiac Association, Norwegian Health Informatics, Directorate of Health