If you experience stomach pains after eating gluten, you may have a condition called celiac disease or celiac sprue. Celiac disease is a chronic condition characterized by intolerance to the protein gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye. If not properly managed, celiac disease can cause serious health complications.
Physiology
The inside of your small intestine is lined with small, hair-like projections called villi. These villi increase the surface area of your small intestine and help you absorb important nutrients properly. When someone with celiac disease consumes foods that contain gluten, it signals an abnormal autoimmune response that releases antibodies into your body. These antibodies mistakenly attack the villi in your small intestine, severely damaging them or destroying them completely. When the villi are damaged, you cannot absorb nutrients properly. If left unmanaged, this can eventually lead to malnutrition. The abnormal autoimmune response triggered by the consumption of gluten also causes a variety of uncomfortable physical symptoms.
Symptoms
Because celiac disease is characterized by a widespread autoimmune response, people experience a wide variety of symptoms. Symptoms that affect the digestive system include stomach pain, bloating, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, constipation, foul-smelling stool and weight loss. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, children are more likely to experience gastrointestinal symptoms. Other possible symptoms include fatigue, bone pain, joint pain, depression, anxiety, tingling and numbness in the hands and feet, canker sores, missed periods and skin rash.
Causes
The exact cause of celiac disease remains unclear, but researchers have determined that the condition has a genetic component as it runs in families. Celiac disease is also more common in people with other underlying medical conditions, such as type 1 diabetes, arthritis, lactose intolerance, thyroid disease, colitis, Down syndrome and certain types of cancers.
Treatment
There is no way to cure celiac disease, but proper management can help you control your condition. The only way to completely prevent symptoms and the subsequent damage to your small intestine is to completely avoid any foods that contain the protein gluten. This includes pasta, cereal and most processed and commercially produced foods. Instead of wheat flour, someone with celiac disease can safely consume potato, soy, rice, buckwheat, quinoa or bean flour, according to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse.
