A Career Lost to Celiac Disease

Myths about Celiac Disease

colleenmd — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:29:46 +0000

Here is an interesting article about the myths surrounding Celiac Disease. Please check it out!

It describes the following MYTHS:

1. Celiac Disease is Rare – MYTH

2. Celiac Disease is a Food Allergy – MYTH

3. You have to have guy symptoms to have Celiac Disease – MYTH

4. Only children get Celiac disease – MYTH

5. You have to be underweight to have undiagnosed Celiac Disease – MYTH

6. A breadcrumb won’t hurt someone with Celiac Disease – MYTH

7. Celiac Disease only affects people of European Origin – MYTH

Filed under: Celiac Disease Tagged: celiac disease, coeliac, food, gluten free, glutenfree, health, life, medicine, wheat

Why is it sometimes hard to diagnose Celiac disease?

colleenmd — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:24:35 +0000

One question we are often asked is, why did it take so long for Keith to be diagnosed with Celiac Disease? Isn’t it a fairly common disease?

To answer the second question first: Yes, Celiac Disease is a common disease. Actually 1 in 133 people have this disease. Unfortunately, many of those individuals are not diagnosed correctly and some studies say as much as 80-90% of people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance do not know they have it! How is this possible?

Well, unfortunately, individuals with Celiac Disease do not always follow the text book. They are human beings, not test subjects. Please see this link that describes 300 signs, symptoms, disorders and complications that can be associated with Celiac Disease. Some people may have one or two symptoms from the list, some may have more! If a person has chronic migraines and is depressed, Celiac disease would probably not be at the top of the differential diagnosis for their doctor. Some people do not even have any symptoms and are diagnosed after a routine colonoscopy! Can you imagine finding out that your intestine is completely wrecked because of a disease you never knew you had? Should someone be punished because it took a long time to have their chronic disease diagnosed? We think not!

Filed under: Celiac Disease Tagged: celiac disease, food, gluten free, health, medicine, symptoms

What is Celiac Disease?

colleenmd — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:52:23 +0000

Celiac disease (CD), also known as gluten intolerance, is a genetic disorder that affects at least 1 in 133 Americans. When a person who has CD ingests gluten or wheat, their own immune system actually attacks their intestine and they are not able to absorb nutrients appropriately. At this point, no one knows what actually causes CD, although it does appear to be genetic. Many people with this disease have multiple, vague symptoms or no symptoms at all. This makes it so hard to diagnose.

Some symptoms that individuals with this disease can have are as follows: abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, malnutrition, vomiting, bloating, headaches, fatigue, loss of concentration, depression, anxiety, muscle cramps, tingling or numbness in hands or feet, seizures, growth delay or short stature. These are just some of the symptoms associated with this disease, many others have been documented.

If a person has CD and they do not go on a gluten free diet, more serious complications can occur. They increase their risk of a gastrointestinal cancer by 40-100 times that of the normal population. Further, gastrointestinal carcinoma or lymphoma develops in up to 15 percent of patients with untreated or refractory celiac disease.

CD can never be cured, but can be treated with a 100% gluten-free diet for life. This is much easier said than done.

Here is a video clip from The View explaining Celiac Disease.

For more information: celiac.com

Filed under: Celiac Disease