Celiac disease: symptoms and treatment

Celiac disease is a disease in which the digestive system does not accept gluten-containing foods. Initially, this disease was considered congenital and transmitted as a hereditary disease. But its exact causes and course are still not fully understood.

Symptoms of celiac disease

It is generally accepted that there are three main forms of the disease. But in fact, the manifestations of the disease are numerous. Celiac disease can masquerade as other gastrointestinal diseases, various pathologies of the dermis, hypovitaminosis and some others. This is precisely the reason that celiac disease is not detected in all patients. Others continue to treat visible signs of non-existent diseases.

But on the other hand, there are many cases where, according to all the signs, the patient suffered from celiac disease, but additional studies did not confirm the doctors’ initial diagnosis.

In children, celiac disease manifests itself with the following symptoms:

• There can be stools up to 5 times a day, sometimes more. In this case, the discharge has a mushy consistency, the presence of fat gives a characteristic shine, a disgusting odor, and is difficult to wash off. Sometimes the stool is foamy and may have different colors.
• Large, prominent belly. Parents may assume that the child is just eating well, but the doctor is more likely to assume that the baby will develop rickets.
• The child gains little height and weight. This most often occurs after the use of complementary foods. While breastfed, the baby did not lag behind his peers.

In adults, the symptoms of celiac disease are:

• From the nervous system there may be depression or migraine.
• Various forms of dermatitis.
• Various problems with teeth– stomatitis, enamel hypoplasia and other diseases of the oral cavity.
• Artiritis and various joint pains of unknown nature.
• Nephropathy.
• Unexplained changes in the state of the blood - a decrease in cholesterol, an increase in albumin, alkaline phosphatase, etc.
• Infertility.

Celiac disease in children

Celiac disease children very difficult to diagnose. This is due to the fact that symptoms do not appear immediately, but only with age. In breastfed babies, the first signs usually appear only after the start of complementary feeding with foods containing gluten. This disease can only be recognized at the age of 7-8 months. But there are often cases when the disease is asymptomatic for up to 2 or even 3 years.

In addition to the main symptoms, the disease causes short temper, aggressiveness and whims in the child. In this case, nervous excitement can quickly give way to attacks of apathy. The child often complains of a dull pain in the abdomen. Due to a lack of calcium, which is simply not absorbed by the body, rickets begins. The child’s teeth erupt late, and those that appear almost immediately suffer from caries. The child often develops edema and is allergic to cow's milk.

Due to the unpredictability of the disease, it can also manifest itself with other completely atypical symptoms. If your child exhibits the above symptoms when introducing gluten-containing foods into complementary foods, consult a doctor. This will help avoid unpleasant consequences.

Celiac disease in adults

In adulthood, a patient with celiac disease usually does not notice his illness or mistakes its manifestations for symptoms of another disease. In general, it was generally accepted that this disease occurs only in childhood. In this case, the prescribed treatment usually did not give any result.

The disease occurs in people who have a certain set of genes. Externally, patients with celiac disease look normal. But after eating gluten-containing foods, the immune system begins to destroy intestinal tissue. In this case, the attack continues as long as gluten enters the body. With celiac disease, all human tissues and organs are destroyed, so the manifestations can be very different.

Celiac disease treatment

Once celiac disease begins to manifest itself, it will remain with the person for life. But this does not mean that the patient will have to suffer from various manifestations of the disease all his life. Treatment consists of strict adherence to gluten-free diets. You will have to throw out pasta and bread, oatmeal, semolina and barley, baked goods and confectionery, and sauces from your diet. In addition, it is necessary to exclude beer, coffee and cocoa, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, canned food, mayonnaise and ketchup. In general, you should eliminate all foods that contain more than 1% gluten.

Allowed to eat legumes buckwheat and millet, as well as corn, natural village milk and eggs, vegetables and fruits. For sweets, you can eat chocolate and marmalade.

Babies need to be given special gluten-free formulas based on casein or soy hydrolysate. The introduction of complementary foods in the case of celiac disease should begin with gluten-free cereals.

Once an accurate diagnosis has been established, therapy may be required to relieve symptoms. In this case, medications are used that restore microflora, normalize digestion, eliminate bloating, diarrhea and gas formation. Sometimes it is also necessary to restore the water-electrolyte balance and eliminate vitamin deficiency. In severe cases, treatment for autoimmune diseases, weight loss, and protein deficiency may be required.