Celiac Disease is a grave auto-immune disease that occurs in people who have a genetic predisposition to it. In this disease, the ingestion of gluten damages the small intestine. It generally affects one in a hundred people across the world. In the USA, two and a half million people are undiagnosed and at risk for health complications in the long run.
Yasith Weerasuriya – How does gluten affect the small intestine in the case of celiac disease?
Yasith Weerasuriya is currently one of the Board of Directors of the Celiac Disease Foundation and the President of Stanbridge University located in Irvine and Los Angeles in California. It is a widely respected award-winning institution with an emphasis on healthcare training that leads to licensure, the provision of programs on occupational therapy, nursing, physical therapy, and veterinary science.
He has more than 20 years of valuable experience in executive leadership in the educational sector. He had in the past attended Wichita State University and the Irvine Valley College. He was the founding President of the College Chapter of Phi Thera Kappa, President of the Honor Society, and the President of the Alpha Gamma Sigma Chapter.
What goes gluten do to people with celiac disease?
He says that when a person with celiac disease eats gluten (a type of protein you find in rye, barley, and wheat), their body releases an immune response that adversely impacts the small intestine. It damages the villi that are the small finger-like projects you find on the small intestine lining. They help in the absorption of nutrients. When this villus gets damaged, the nutrients cannot be properly absorbed into the body.
Celiac disease is hereditary and has the ability to develop at any age
Celiac disease is genetic or hereditary. Individuals with a first-degree relative with celiac disease (sibling, parent, or child) have a one in ten risk of getting it. The disease can occur and develop at any age after individuals prone to it begin to eat food or consume medicines with gluten. If it is left untreated, this disease leads to more serious health problems in the long run.
What happens if celiac disease is left untreated?
If celiac disease is not treated, it will lead to the development of serious auto-immune disorders like multiple sclerosis (MS), Type 1 Diabetes, and several other health conditions like dermatitis herpetiformis that is a sort of an itchy rash on the skin, infertility, anemia, osteoporosis, and miscarriage. It will also trigger neurological disorders and conditions like migraines, epilepsy, short stature, intestinal cancers, and heart disease.
Yasith Weerasuriya concludes by saying that at present, the sole treatment for celiac disease is to embrace a gluten-free diet and adhere to it for life. Individuals with this Disease should avoid food with rye, wheat, and barley like beer and bread. He says that you should be extremely careful as even if you consume or ingest small amounts of gluten, such as crumbs from a toaster or a cutting board, it will trigger damage to the small intestine.