Celiac (Coeliac) disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease are unable to process a protein called gluten, found naturally in wheat, rye and barley.
Gluten is found mainly in foods, but is also found in products we use every day, such as stamp and envelope adhesive, medicines and vitamins. When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the small intestine.
The tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine are damaged or destroyed. Called villi, they normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, regardless of the quantity of food eaten.
Because the body’s own immune system causes the damage, celiac disease is considered an autoimmune disorder. HoweveBecause the body’s own immune system causes the damage, celiac disease is
considered an autoimmune disorder. However, it is also classified as a disease
of malabsorption because nutrients are not absorbed. Celiac disease is also
known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue and gluten-sensitive enteropathy.
Celiac disease is a genetic disease, meaning it runs in families. Sometimes the
disease is triggered – or becomes active for the first time after surgery,
pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.
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