Some people experience a severe allergic reaction in their intestines when they eat products that contain gluten, a protein found in bread, cookies, pasta and other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. Symptoms range from abdominal pain and diarrhea to nutritional deficiencies resulting from the intestine's inability to absorb nutrients due to continual inflammation.
Definition
The lining of your intestines has areas called villi, which absorb nutrients from the food you eat. Some people have an allergic reaction to the presence of gluten in food, which causes the body to attack the villi in the small intestine, resulting in inflammation. The common name for this condition is celiac disease, but other names include nontropical sprue, gluten intolerance and gluten-sensitive enteropathy.
Diagnosis
Your doctor can diagnose celiac disease by using an endoscope to take a biopsy to determine if there is intestinal inflammation and damage to the villi. The inflammation might be patchy, so it's possible for biopsy samples taken from adjacent areas in the small intestine to have significant variation, according to an article published in the March 1999 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." Your doctor also might perform blood tests to detect special antibodies that could indicate you have celiac disease.
Symptoms
Symptoms of intestinal inflammation due to gluten vary widely, but they can include constipation, decreased appetite, diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, indigestion, lactose intolerance, nausea, vomiting and unexplained weight loss. Also, your stools might float, appear bloody or fatty, or smell foul.
Long-term Effects
If you have celiac disease, avoid eating gluten-containing food. Otherwise, long-term damage can result from the repeated inflammation, which destroys the villis' ability to absorb nutrients. Malabsorption of nutrients can lead to depression, anxiety, bruising, stunted growth, itchy skin, hair loss, muscle cramps, joint pain, anemia, osteoporosis and miscarriage. Other long-term effects include liver diseases and intestinal cancer.
Prevention
No cure for celiac disease exists, but you can stop the repeated inflammation by avoiding products that contain gluten. Work with your doctor and nutritionist to create a diet that supplies you with all of the nutrients you need without exposing you to gluten. Common gluten-containing ingredients you should avoid include barley, farina, durham, bulgur, graham flour, semolina, rye, triticale, spelt and wheat.
