Fasano believes a change in the composition of the intestinal bacteria in people who are genetically predisposed to celiac could trigger the autoimmune response, and "this is probably driving this epidemic.
Few people with celiac disease are diagnosed correctly, Murray says. In seniors, he adds, celiac is often misdiagnosed as another gastrointestinal problem common in the elderly. But testing that can reliably diagnose celiac disease does exist. Doctors test the blood for certain antibodies, substances that appear if the immune system is reacting badly to gluten, according to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center.
If the test is positive, doctors confirm the diagnosis by taking a small sample, or biopsy , of the small intestine to check for damage. Removing gluten from your diet is the only treatment for celiac right now, says Fasano. This prevents further damage to your intestine and gives it a chance to heal. There's no cure for coeliac disease, but following a gluten-free diet should help control symptoms and prevent the long-term complications of the condition.
Even if you have mild symptoms, changing your diet is still recommended because continuing to eat gluten can lead to serious complications. This may also be the case if tests show that you have some degree of coeliac disease even if you do not have noticeable symptoms.
It's important to ensure that your gluten-free diet is healthy and balanced. An increase in the range of available gluten-free foods in recent years has made it possible to eat both a healthy and varied gluten-free diet. Complications of coeliac disease only tend to affect people who continue to eat gluten, or those who have not yet been diagnosed with the condition, which can be a common problem in milder cases.
Less common and more serious complications include some types of cancers, such as bowel cancer , and problems affecting pregnancy, such as your baby having a low birth weight. Find out more about the complications of coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is a condition that affects at least 1 in every people in the UK. But some experts think this may be underestimated because milder cases may go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed as other digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome IBS.
It is typical for celiac disease to develop at a young age, so physicians sometimes overlook the possibility that celiac disease is causing symptoms in older adults and seniors, leading to delayed treatment and prolonged suffering.
In children and young adults, celiac disease is more likely to present with symptoms of anemia , failure to thrive, diarrhea, and weight loss. For those who develop celiac disease when they are older than years-of age elderly onset celiac disease , the symptoms can be different than they are in younger populations.
Certain other symptoms, such as constipation and obesity, are common in elderly celiac patients but rare in their younger counterparts. Symptoms are often mild for elderly patients, who might mistake them for the common signs of aging, and could fail to bring up these symptoms with their physicians and delaying diagnosis and treatment. Ideally, all individuals should make cardiovascular health a priority from an early age.
Older celiac disease patients are at an increased risk of heart disease, possibly because the chronic inflammation they experience while eating gluten contributes to fatty buildup and stress on the blood vessels that support the heart. Celiac patients must avoid all forms of wheat, rye, and barley on a gluten-free diet See Table 1: Not Safe. Historically, oats were also on the list of prohibited grains as it was thought that the oat protein avenin caused the same toxic reaction as in wheat, rye, and barley.
However, research reveals that moderate amounts of pure, uncontaminated oats are safe for most individuals with celiac disease. Producers grow these specialty oats on dedicated fields and then harvest, transport, and process them on dedicated equipment to prevent cross-contamination with gluten-containing grains.
A very small number of individuals with celiac disease may not tolerate pure oats; however, the mechanism causing this intolerance remains undiscovered. Physicians recommend that a person be well established on a gluten-free diet before they introduce pure oats into their diet.
Most individuals find that changing lifelong eating habits and adapting to a gluten-free diet is a major challenge for a number of reasons, including that wheat, and to a lesser extent, rye and barley, are the staple cereals used in the North American diet. They serve as the basis for a wide variety of foods such as cereals, pasta, breads, and other baked products. Many soups, sauces, salad dressings, seasonings, prepared meats e.
Due to busy lifestyles, eating out, and use of packaged, convenience foods, it is increasingly common for gluten to find its way into our diet, even where we least expect it. Current Canadian food labelling regulations do not require manufacturers to declare all components of ingredients on the package label e.
Fortunately, there are many varieties of foods that are naturally gluten-free, including plain meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes, milk, cheese, yogurt, fruits, and vegetables. Additionally, there are many gluten-free flours, starches, and grains that can replace wheat, barley, and rye See Table 2: Safe.
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