Gluten-Free Disease: Causes and Treatment

In recent years, such atypical pathology as gluten disease has become widespread. What it is? This is the body's immune response to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.

In celiac disease (celiac disease), the use of this protein causes an inadequate response to a fragment of the immune system located in the small intestine. Over time, the pathological reaction leads to an inflammatory process that damages the small intestine and disrupts the absorption of a number of nutrients (malabsorption).

Damage to the small intestine, in turn, leads to weight loss, bloating and diarrhea. Gradually, the body begins to lack the nutrients necessary for normal life, and then the brain, nervous system, bones, liver and other internal organs suffer.

In children, gluten disease (photos showing its external signs, published in medical journals) often causes a delay in growth and development. Irritation in the intestines can cause pain in the abdomen, especially after eating.

Celiac disease is incurable, but if you follow a strict diet, its symptoms can be alleviated.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of the disease in question are very diverse, because they completely depend on the individual characteristics of the patient's body.

Although standard signs of celiac disease are weight loss and indigestion, many patients do not experience any discomfort associated with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Only a third of patients suffer from chronic diarrhea, and only half of the respondents complain of weight loss.

Approximately 20% of patients, in contrast, suffer from chronic constipation; 10% of obesity (although some scientists believe that these disorders are not caused by gluten disease). Symptoms not related to digestion can be combined into the following list:

• Anemia (usually as a consequence of iron deficiency);
• Osteoporosis (bone tissue dystrophy) or osteomalacia (softening of the bones);
• Skin rash in the form of itchy blisters (herpetiform dermatosis);
• Damage to tooth enamel;
• Headaches, fatigue;
• Damage to the nervous system, including numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, as well as possible difficulties in maintaining balance;
• Pain in ligaments;
• Decreased function of the spleen (hyposplus);
• Acid reflux and heartburn.

Gluten disease: symptoms in children

More than 75% of children with celiac disease are overweight or obese. Signs of pathology associated with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, occur in 20-30% of small patients. More accurate data is almost impossible to obtain, since the symptomatology depends primarily on the age of the patient.

Typical signs of celiac disease in newborns:

• Chronic diarrhea;
• Bloating;
• Pain;
• Lag in physical development, poor health, weight loss.

In older children who are confronted with a diagnosis of "gluten disease", the symptoms can be manifested as follows:

• diarrhea;
• Constipation;
• Low growth;
• Delay in puberty;
• Neurological disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, inability to learn, headaches, lack of muscle coordination.

When to see a doctor

Register for a consultation with a specialist if stomach upset or abdominal discomfort does not go away within two weeks. Be sure to contact the pediatrician if you notice that the child has become pale, irritable, stopped gaining weight and grow. Anxious symptoms are also bloating and a hard stool with a bad smell.

You should consult a specialist before taking a gluten-free diet. If you exclude wheat protein from the diet before going through the prescribed tests, the results of the studies are likely to be erroneous.

Celiac disease is often transmitted from generation to generation. If one of your relatives is diagnosed with pathology, it will not be superfluous to undergo the examination yourself. In addition, those at risk are those whose relatives suffer from type 1 diabetes.

Causes

Although in the modern world many people know what gluten disease is, the reasons for its occurrence and development are still a mystery to scientists.

When the immune system of the body inadequately responds to gluten contained in food, it damages the tiny, hair-like protrusions on the mucous membrane (villi). Vorsels on the shell of the small intestine are responsible for the absorption of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from the consumed food. Under a microscope they look like a dense pile soft carpet. In case of damage caused by celiac disease, the inner surface of the small intestine begins to resemble tiles in its appearance. As a result, the body is unable to absorb the nutrients necessary for growth and maintenance of health.

According to a study by the National Institute of Health in the United States, approximately one American out of 140 interviewees suffers from celiac disease. On the other hand, many patients do not consult a doctor for a long time and therefore do not even suspect a pathology. Most often, gluten disease affects representatives of the European race.

According to some studies, it is noted that some gene changes (mutations) increase the risk of developing celiac disease. Nevertheless, the presence of such mutations does not mean that a person necessarily falls ill.

In some cases, the pathology first appears after a surgical operation, pregnancy, childbirth, a dangerous viral infection or severe emotional overload.

Risk factors

Gluten disease can develop in any organism. However, there are circumstances that increase the risk of manifestation of pathology, including:

• Presence of a close relative with celiac disease or herpetiform dermatosis;
• Type 1 diabetes mellitus;
• Down syndrome or Turner syndrome;
• Autoimmune thyroiditis;
• Sjogren's syndrome ;
• Microscopic colitis (lymphocytic or collagenous colitis).

Complications

In the absence of treatment or non-compliance with prescribed therapy, including diet, celiac disease can lead to the following complications:

• Depletion due to malnutrition. Damage to the small intestine leads to a violation of absorption of the microelements necessary for the organism. Lack of nutrients can cause anemia and weight loss. In children, it leads to a delay in growth and development.
• Loss of calcium and osteoporosis. Lack of calcium and vitamin D can cause softening of the bones in children (osteomalacia) or bone tissue in adults (osteoporosis).
• Infertility and miscarriages. The lack of calcium and vitamin D aggravates the existing violations of reproductive function.
• Lactose intolerance. Damage to the small intestine causes abdominal pain and diarrhea after eating lactose-containing dairy products, even if they contain no gluten. After a therapeutic diet, when the intestine is fully healed, lactose intolerance can go away by itself, but doctors do not give any guarantees: some patients have problems with digesting dairy products even after they have completed celiac disease treatment.
• Cancer. The key to combating such an affliction, like gluten disease, is a diet based on products without harmful protein. If you do not follow the diet and other doctor's directions, the risk of developing several cancers increases, including intestinal lymphoma and small intestinal cancer.

Diagnostics

The following research and procedures are used to determine celiac disease:

• Blood tests. Elevated levels of certain substances in the blood (antibodies) indicate an immune response to gluten. According to these analyzes, pathology can be detected even in those cases when its symptoms practically do not cause discomfort or are completely absent.
• Endoscopy. If, according to the results of blood tests, the patient has a gluten disease, the diagnosis will be supplemented with a procedure called "endoscopy", since the doctor will need to examine the small intestine and take a small piece of tissue by biopsy. On a laboratory test, specialists will determine if the villi of the mucosa are damaged.
• Capsular endoscopy. With capsular endoscopy, a tiny wireless camera is used, which removes the entire small intestine of the patient. The chamber is placed in a capsule the size of a vitamin dragee, after which the patient swallows it. As you move through the gastrointestinal tract, the camera makes thousands of photos transferred to the recording recorder.

It is very important to first go through all the prescribed studies to identify celiac disease and only then sit on a gluten-free diet. If you exclude this protein from the diet before you pass the tests, the results of the diagnosis may seem normal.

Treatment

The only way with which you can alleviate such a disease, as a gluten disease, is treatment in the form of a gluten-free diet. It should be borne in mind that malicious protein is found not only in normal wheat. They are also rich in the following products:

• barley;
• Bulgur;
• Durum;
• semolina;
• Flour is a sin;
• malt;
• rye;
• Semolina (krupchatka);
• Spell;
• Triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye).

The doctor, most likely, will redirect you to a nutritionist for the joint planning of an optimal gluten-free diet.

Once this vegetable protein is excluded from the diet, the inflammatory process in the small intestine will gradually begin to come to naught. Improvement can be seen after two to three weeks, although many patients note a significant improvement in well-being after only a few days. Complete healing and overgrowth of villi can take from several months to several years. Restoration of the small intestine is faster in young children than in adults.

If you accidentally eat a product containing gluten, you may experience symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea. Some people have no symptoms completely, but this does not mean that wheat protein is absolutely harmless for them. Carefully read the composition of the products indicated on the package: even traces of gluten can cause damage, regardless of the presence or absence of signs of the disease.

Vitamin and mineral supplements

The diagnosis of "gluten disease" - what does it mean? First of all, it is necessary to avoid any dishes containing wheat, barley, rye and their derivatives. Reducing the amount of cereals consumed can lead to nutritional deficiencies - in this case, a therapist or a nutritionist will recommend taking vitamin and mineral nutritional supplements to fill the lack of appropriate substances in the diet. Such vitally important substances include:

• calcium;
• folic acid;
• iron;
• Vitamin B-12;
• Vitamin D;
• Vitamin K;
• zinc.

Vitamin supplements are usually taken in the form of tablets. If you are diagnosed with serious impairment of absorption of nutrients, the doctor will prescribe the intake of vitamins in the form of injections.

Inflammation in the intestine

If the small intestine is severely damaged, the doctor will recommend steroid preparations to suppress the inflammatory process. Steroids can alleviate the most severe signs of pathology and create a fertile soil for the healing of the damaged intestinal mucosa.

Hazardous Foods

If you are at risk and you are threatened by a gluten-free disease, preventing an illness should be one of your personal priorities. Avoid ready meals in packages, if on packages or packages there is no inscription "does not contain gluten". Malicious protein is found not only in obvious dishes like bakery, cakes, pies and cookies. It can also be a part of the following food products:

• beer;
• sweets;
• Sauces;
• Soy meat or seafood;
• Processed meat rolls;
• Dressings for salads, including soy sauce;
• A bird that does not require fat when frying;
• Ready-made soups.

Certain cereals, for example oats, may contain traces of gluten, since they grow and are processed in the same locality and on the same equipment as wheat. Until now, science does not know exactly whether oats aggravate such a plague as gluten disease in adults, but doctors usually recommend avoiding oatmeal and cereal if the package does not indicate that the product does not contain gluten. In some cases, even pure oat flakes without any traces of wheat lead to an aggravation of the inflammatory process in the small intestine.

Permitted Products

Almost all the usual food is suitable for the conditions of a gluten-free diet. You can safely eat the following foods:

• Fresh meat, fish and poultry without breading, adding dough or marinade;
• fruit;
• Most dairy products;
• Potatoes and other vegetables;
• Wine and distilled liquids, alcoholic and fruit non-alcoholic beverages.

From cereals on a gluten-free diet are acceptable:

• amaranth;
• arrowroot;
• buckwheat;
• corn;
• polenta;
• Any types of flour that do not contain gluten (rice, soybean, corn, potato, pea);
• Kinoa (quinoa);
• Rice;
• tapioca.

Fortunately for celiacs who love bakery and pasta, over time, many manufacturers are releasing more products with a special "gluten-free" label. If you can not find such items in a local bakery or grocery store, look at the range of online stores. Many products and dishes containing gluten have safe and affordable gluten-free analogues.