Celiac disease is a condition characterized by an intolerance to gluten. The protein gluten is in several grains, including wheat. People with celiac disease suffer damage to the lining of the small intestine from eating gluten. This inhibits absorption of nutrients that typically pass through the intestinal walls to reach the bloodstream. A wheat intolerance causes similar symptoms to celiac disease, but the body reacts differently. Doctors use different techniques to diagnose the conditions, too. Neither condition is a true food allergy.
Symptoms
People easily confuse wheat intolerance and celiac disease. A wheat intolerance causes only mild to moderate symptoms, such as bloating, joint pains and headaches. The specific reason people have wheat intolerance is unknown. Some experts believe that a lack of enzymes needed for wheat digestion may be the main cause. Celiac disease affects the small intestine and causes symptoms like abdominal pain, constipation, loss of appetite, indigestion, diarrhea, abnormal stools, gas and nausea.
Diagnosis
The process for diagnosing a wheat intolerance is less invasive than the one for celiac disease. Patients go through a food challenge in a hospital for diagnosing a wheat intolerance. A medical professional feeds a patient various foods while the patient wears a blindfold. Medical staff monitor the patient for three days and then carry out a food elimination program to narrow down the foods that cause reactions. Blood tests are the first step for diagnosing celiac disease but are not conclusive. If blood tests indicate the disease, a doctor biopsies the small intestine to check a sample for damage. He inserts a long tube known as an endoscope into the patient's mouth and down to the small intestine to obtain a sample.
Foods
People with a wheat intolerance may react to any food that contains wheat. This may include soy sauce or other products that have wheat gluten. If you have celiac disease, you need to avoid many more foods than wheat. Gluten is the second most commonly eaten ingredient after sugar, according to TeensHealth. Gluten proteins are in wheat, barley, rye, durum, spelt, semolina and kamut. Eating any of these grains, not just wheat, affects people with celiac disease.
Wheat Allergy
A wheat or gluten intolerance is not a wheat allergy. A real food allergy may be life-threatening. With a wheat allergy, the immune system reacts to even the slightest amount of wheat or foods containing wheat. Similar reactions to a wheat intolerance can occur, such as nausea and diarrhea. Anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction, is possible if you eat wheat and have an allergy. This makes it hard for you to breathe and causes low blood pressure. Complete avoidance of wheat is necessary to deal with a wheat allergy.
References
- Mail Online; Wheat Intolerance: The Facts; Naomi Coleman
- MayoClinic.com; Wheat Allergy; July 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Food Allergy; James T C Li, M.D., Ph.D.; June 2011
- PubMed Health: Celiac Disease: Sprue
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; Celiac Disease; September 2008
- TeensHealth: Celiac Disease
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