FACTS IN ENGLISH

What's Gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley , grains that are in many everyday foods. Most of us eat food with gluten with no trouble. But for some people, eating gluten can cause a reaction in their bodies. Someone who has this problem has celiac disease.

After you eat food, it goes to your stomach, which is part of a group of organs that make up your digestive system.

For someone with celiac disease, eating gluten in a piece of bread, for instance , causes an immune system reaction. Your immune system ordinarily keeps you from getting sick, but in someone with celiac disease, the body starts damaging and destroying the villi. Without villi, the body can't absorb vitamins and nutrients from food. Without enough nutrients, a kid's body has a tough time staying healthy and growing properly. Even if the person eats a lot, he or she still might lose weight and could develop anemia from not absorbing enough iron

Signs and Symptoms

Some common symptoms of celiac disease are diarrhea, decreased appetite, stomachache and bloating,poor growth, and weight loss. Many kids are diagnosed with it when they're between 6 months and 2 years old, which is when most kids get their first taste of gluten in foods.

For some people, the problems start slowly and the symptoms may be terrible one week and not as bad the next. Because of this, some people aren't diagnosed with celiac disease until they're older. The problem is chronic which means that although symptoms may come and go, people who have celiac disease will always have it.