What is coeliac disease?

Having coeliac disease means a person can’t eat gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, or barley. Gluten may also be found in some medicines. Coeliac disease is hereditary, meaning it runs in families. The treatment for coeliac disease is a gluten-free diet. Other names for coeliac disease are coeliac sprue and gluten intolerance.

In people with coeliac disease, the body’s immune system responds to gluten by damaging the lining of the small intestine. This lining has small finger-like growths called villi. The villi normally absorb nutrients from the foods we eat. When the villi are damaged, the body can’t get the nutrients it needs.

People with coeliac disease don’t always know they have it because they don’t feel sick. Or if they feel sick, they don’t know coeliac disease is the cause.

Is coeliac disease serious?

Yes. Coeliac disease can be very serious. Besides stomach pain, it can cause anemia, malnutrition, infertility, a certain skin rash, and other health problems.

What are the symptoms of coeliac disease?

Symptoms of coeliac disease include

Most people with coeliac disease have one or more symptoms, but not all have digestive problems. And some people with the disease don’t have any symptoms. Having one or more of these symptoms does not mean a person has coeliac disease because many other disorders include these symptoms.

How is coeliac disease diagnosed?

Coeliac disease can be hard to discover because its symptoms are like many other digestive diseases. People with coeliac disease can go untreated for many years.

If your doctor thinks you have coeliac disease, you will probably need a blood test. You will need to follow your regular diet before and while being tested. If you don’t, the results could be wrong.

If your test results show you might have coeliac disease, the doctor will perform a biopsy to make sure coeliac disease is the problem. For a biopsy, the doctor takes a small piece of tissue from your small intestine. To get to your small intestine, the doctor puts a long tube into your mouth and down into your stomach. At the end of the tube are small tools for snipping out the bit of tissue needed to view with a microscope. You will take medicine before the biopsy that makes you very sleepy. It also keeps you from feeling any pain. Many people sleep through the procedure.

How is coeliac disease treated?

The only treatment for coeliac disease is a gluten-free diet. A dietitian can work with you to help you learn how to select gluten-free foods. A dietitian is an expert in food and healthy eating. You will learn to check labels of foods and other items for gluten. If you eliminate gluten from your diet, your small intestine will heal. If you eat gluten, or use items that contain gluten, you will harm your small intestine.

The following chart lists examples of foods you can eat and foods you should stay away from if you have coeliac disease. This list is not complete. A dietitian can help you learn what other foods you can and can’t eat when following a gluten-free diet.

From the following resource: Thompson T. Coeliac Disease Nutrition Guide, 2nd ed. Chicago: American Dietetic Association; 2006. © American Dietetic Association. Adapted with permission. For a complete copy of the Coeliac Disease Nutrition Guide, please visit www.eatright.org.

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