Celiac Disease: What It Is and Causes

, a complex of nitrogenous substances which is formed during the mixing, with water, of the flour of some cereals, such as oats *, wheat, spelled, kamut, barley, rye, spelled and triticale.

Strictly speaking, celiac disease is not a disease, but a simple condition which, in order to manifest itself, requires the simultaneous presence of a genetic predisposition and the consumption of foods containing gluten.

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In Italy it is recognized as a social disease, so much so that it is estimated that it affects approximately 400 / 600,000 Italians, that is one person for every 100/150 inhabitants. Given that many subjects live with this condition for many years without experiencing particularly serious disorders, the number of diagnosed cases (about 160 thousand in 2012) is much lower than the real incidence of the disease.

To combat celiac disease, the only therapy currently valid is dietary. The celiac is therefore forced to eliminate from their table all those foods that contain even small amounts of gluten (pasta, sweets, bread, beer, biscuits, etc.).

It is no coincidence that celiac disease mainly affects subjects of Caucasian ethnicity in which the consumption of cereals containing gluten is higher than in other populations such as African or Asian ones. Celiac disease is also more frequent in women, so much so that women are affected twice as much as men.

* According to some studies, if introduced pure, ie not contaminated by gluten during processing, oats would not be harmful to most (99.4%) of celiacs. Bibliography: Can oats be taken in a gluten-free diet ? A systematic review. Scand. J. Gastroenterol. Vol. 42, No. 2, pages 171-178.

KNOW THE CELIAC

DIAGNOSIS OF CELIAC

Celiac disease
Celiac disease: the causes of origin
Symptoms and complications of the disease
The risk factors
Dermatitis and Celiac disease
Celiac and Thyroid

Tests for the diagnosis of celiac disease
Transglutaminase and diagnosis of celiac disease
Anti-gliadin antibodies
Anti-endomysial antibodies
Breath test with Sorbitol

LIVING WITH THE CELIAC

WHAT IS GLUTEN? WHERE IS IT

Some advices
Celiac disease: nutrition and therapy
Permitted Foods and Forbidden Foods
Celiac disease and pRPQ Protein - A peptide to fight it
Medicines for the treatment of celiac disease

What is gluten?
Gluten-free foods
Cereals with gluten
Gluten-free video recipes for celiacs
Informative video: foods with and without gluten

. This section of the intestine, more or less 5 meters long, is in fact rich in finger-shaped protrusions (intestinal villi) which are used to absorb nutritional materials. When the cells of these important microstructures are attacked they lose their absorption capacity and this is where the first problems for the organism begin. This phenomenon in fact deprives organs such as the brain and liver of essential nutrients for proper functioning. Unfortunately, a late diagnosis determines the progressive deterioration of the intestinal villi, further aggravating the pathology and predisposing the subject to diseases of another nature.The phenomenon is particularly serious in children, who need abundant nutrients for development and growth processes.

A profound relationship between infection with a common virus called rotavirus and celiac disease was recently demonstrated in an Italian study. In particular, scholars found that, unlike healthy individuals, celiacs possess antibodies to a specific protein present in this virus. These antibodies pick up its presence on intestinal villous cells and attack to neutralize it. The aggression to these structures causes the opening of small channels between one cell and the other, opening the doors for gluten to enter and for the consequent inflammation of the intestinal wall.

This discovery has opened new horizons in the prevention of celiac disease also thanks to the synthesis of a specific vaccine for the pediatric age currently in an experimental phase.