Also known as gluten enteropathy, coeliac disease is a problem in the intestine which is cause by an abnormal immune response to gluten. Gluten is a protein that most commonly is found in cereal grains like wheat, barley and rye.
Essentially coeliac disease causes damage to the lining of the small intestine and occasionally can also affect organs such as the pancreas, thyroid glands and the nervous system. This tendency to affect organs beyond the small intestine mean coeliac disease can lead to an increased risk of diabetes, thyroid disease and neurological disorders respectively.
Most worryingly, a person can suffer coeliac disease and not show any symptoms, however, some things to be aware of that do show up in coeliac disease patients are:
As well as the physical symptoms listed above, coeliac disease has also been known to cause some emotional problems such as anxiety and depression.
As coeliac disease is triggered by gluten the best advice for suffers or people who suspect they may have coeliac disease is to work with a health professional and go gluten free. You should also go for regular check up’s to monitor coeliac disease and check for anaemia and bone health as well as nutritional deficiencies which may arise.
|Calcium||Coeliac disease can cause mal-absorption which can lead to numerous nutritional deficiencies which taking calcium could help correct.|
|Vitamin B12||Vitamin B12 can be beneficial for people who struggle with depression resulting from coeliac disease.|