HIT and Celiac Disease

Adopted from BIT 5564 students' forum (anonymized for privacy) Celiac's is an auto-immune disorder that damages the intestinal villi when there is a negative cross-reaction with one of several gluten proteins. These gluten proteins can be found in products made from the common grains wheat, barley and rye. The damage caused to the intestinal villi impact the body's ability to absorb nutrients and can therefore lead to a wide range of potentially serious health concerns. One of the most surprising facts that I have found is the relative difficulty that exists in diagnosis. The wide range of symptoms and health impacts often lead to Celiac's being misdiagnosed or going unnoticed for long periods of time. Patients are often treated for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Iron-Deficiency, and Chronic Functional Abdominal Pain before a Nurse Practitioner recommends that the tests for Celiac's be administered. A not so surprising fact is that the only known treatment of Celiac's is to avoid all gluten proteins in one's diet and it is a lifelong approach to treating the disease. Another surprising fact about the condition is the wealth of information that is already available via smart-phone technology. There are at least three effective iphone apps that are currently used to help manage the condition (although admittedly the restaurant guide for Celiac's more than the others). Note that Celiac should not be mistaken with gluten (wheat) allergy. A common wheat allergy does not involve the immune system agents and damage the intestinal lining like Celiac's disease does. Wheat allergies are more akin to other allergies and can cause asthma, hives, hay fever, and sometimes more serious allergic reactions such as anaphylactic shock.