According to data from the Spanish Federation of Coeliac Associations, 75% of patients are still undiagnosed. Currently, it is the most common chronic gastrointestinal disease with a prevalence in Spain similar to that of the rest of Europe: 1 per 100 individuals. To learn a little more about this disease we have counted on the participation of the specialist in Digestive System and member of Top Doctors, Dr. Brotons GarcĂa.
What is celiac disease? What is gluten?
Celiac disease or celiac disease is a constant intolerance to gluten that causes an alteration of the mucosa of the small intestine. The body generates a defense response to a protein fraction of gluten, called gliadin, which causes damage to the intestinal mucosa. According to recent epidemiological data, almost 1% of the Spanish population has celiac disease.
Gluten is a protein found in the seeds of certain cereals. It represents 80% of these proteins and is composed of gliadin and glutenin. Its function is to give elasticity and sponginess to the flour dough, in addition to allowing the gases generated during fermentation to be retained inside the dough.
What are the symptoms?
The main symptoms are digestive, such as chronic diarrhea or vomiting, loss of appetite and weight, bloating and abdominal pain, although the patient may also have other symptoms such as iron deficiency anemia, growth retardation, vitamin B12 deficiency or alteration of liver tests and even alteration of character, among others. However, it should be taken into account that a high percentage of celiac patients have no symptoms.
The consumption of gluten by a celiac patient can lead to malabsorption of nutrients that can cause anemia, vitamin deficiencies and favor the development of tumors, mainly at the level of the intestine, such as lymphomas or adenocarcinomas.
Why does celiac disease appear suddenly in some cases?
It should be noted that celiac disease is not hereditary, it appears in those patients who have a genetic predisposition to suffer from it and is combined with other external factors such as environmental and immunological factors that end up developing the disease. Its onset affects all ages, from infancy, when gluten is introduced into the diet, or at any time of life.
Dr. Brotons GarcĂa explains: “when the disease appears in adulthood, the “trigger effect” occurs, in which the patient begins to recognize gluten as a harmful element for his or her body. This “trigger effect” can arise from a virus infection or other stimulus that activates the patient’s immune system.”
Treatment of celiac disease
Treatment is based on a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet. In this way, the disappearance of the symptoms, the stability of the indicators in the blood and the recovery of the intestinal villi are achieved. The specialist must know how to explain to both the patient and his family members the short and long term benefits of following a gluten-free diet. For this reason, it is necessary for patients to make periodic visits to the Digestive System physician to take into account the determination of antibodies and thus know the response and adequate compliance to the gluten-free diet.
In addition, in recent years new treatments, both drugs and vaccines, have been developed to desensitize celiac patients to the toxic effect of gluten or to modify the inflammatory response generated by gluten.
What basic foods cannot be consumed by a celiac patient?
Gluten is mainly found in wheat, rye, triticale (a cross between wheat and rye), barley and, to a lesser extent, in oats. Thus, according to Dr. Brotons GarcĂa the foods that a celiac cannot consume are:
- Bread
- Pastries
- Cookies and pastry products
- Italian pasta
- Oat milk
- Malted beverages (beer, whiskey, barley water)
- Manufactured products containing the above-mentioned flours or derivatives such as starches.
Nowadays there are numerous computer applications that allow to know the composition of manufactured foods. In addition to the help of celiac associations that constantly inform and update celiac patients of all the news.
It is important to check the label of products since certain foods such as sausages, processed cheeses, canned meat and fish, among others, may contain gluten, although at first glance it may not seem so. In addition, Dr. Brotons GarcĂa warns us that “the ingestion of small amounts of gluten in the diet is sufficient to lose the protection provided by the strict gluten-free diet”.