For years, Celiac disease has been considered as a childhood disease.
But evidence from recent decades indicates a high prevalence of the disease in adults, especially seniors. As we read in the Mayo Clinic article about 1 in 100 adults have celiac disease.
What do you need to know about the disease?
Celiac disease is an immune reaction to gluten in food. If you have celiac disease, taking gluten will trigger an immune system reaction in the small intestine that will turn into an inflammatory process over time. During this reaction, the wall of the small intestine is damaged and the process of absorption of food is inhibited.
Symptoms of the disease
Classic signs and symptoms of celiac disease include fatigue, anemia, diarrhea, abdominal pain and weight loss. However, older adults tend to experience milder symptoms, such as bloating, gas and abdominal discomfort, and may not have diarrhea at all.
Your doctor can initiate a diagnosis with a blood test and confirm it with a biopsy of the small intestine
The focus of treatment is on relieving discomfort and preventing complications, which is done primarily by following a gluten-free diet.
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