Celiac Disease Treatment Cost in India

Celiac disease, also known as celiac sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is an immunological reaction to gluten, a protein present in wheat, rye, and other grains.

Gluten causes an immunological response in your small intestine if you have celiac disease. This reaction destroys the lining of your small intestine over time, preventing it from absorbing certain nutrients (malabsorption). Diarrhea, lethargy, weight loss, bloating, and anemia are common symptoms of intestinal injury, which can progress to significant consequences.

Malabsorption in children can impact growth and development in addition to creating the symptoms noticed in adults.

Celiac disease has no cure, although maintaining a gluten-free diet can help manage symptoms and promote intestinal healing in most patients.

What Is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease affects the small intestine and is a chronic digestive and immunological problem. Gluten-containing foods cause the condition to develop. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye that is widely used in bread, pasta, cookies, and cakes. Gluten is found in a wide range of products, including prepared foods, lip balms and lipsticks, toothpaste, vitamin and nutrition supplements, and, in rare cases, pharmaceuticals.

Celiac disease is a dangerous condition. The condition can lead to long-term digestive issues and prevent your body from receiving all of the nutrients it requires. Celiac disease can impact the body in places other than the small intestine.

Celiac disease is not the same as gluten sensitivity or wheat intolerance. Gluten sensitivity can cause symptoms similar to celiac diseases, such as abdominal pain and exhaustion. Gluten sensitivity, unlike celiac disease, does not cause damage to the small intestine.

Celiac disease is not the same as a wheat allergy, which is a form of food allergy. Wheat causes your immune system to react in both circumstances. Wheat allergies, on the other hand, have symptoms that are distinct from celiac diseases, such as itchy eyes and breathing difficulty. Wheat allergies do not harm the small intestine in the long run.

What Are The Sign and Symptoms of Celiac Disease?

Symptoms of Celiac disease are varied, and a person may have a number of symptoms that come and go. You can have stomach issues or other symptoms if you have celiac disease. Children are more likely than adults to have digestive issues. Celiac disease can include a variety of digestive symptoms.

Celiac disease symptoms and indicators fluctuate significantly between children and adults. Adults may experience the following digestive signs and symptoms of celiac disease:

1. Constipation
2. Bloating 
3. Gastric Issues
4. Chronic Diarrhea
5. Vomiting and Nausea
6. Lactose intolerance as a result of small intestine damage
7. Feces that are loose, greasy, dense, and smell awful
8. Abdominal Pain

Being unable to absorb nutrients at a time when they are critical to optimal growth and development might cause problems for children with celiac disease.

1. Damage to the enamel of permanent teeth
2. Puberty is postponed
3. Failure to thrive refers to an infant’s or child’s weight loss or lack of growth.
4. A child’s body weight is lower than expected for his or her age.
5. Mood swings, irritation, or impatience
6. Sluggish growth and small stature
7. Losing weight

Before being diagnosed and starting treatment of celiac disease, the majority of people experience one or more symptoms. When a person switches to a gluten-free diet, their symptoms usually improve and may even disappear. If a person consumes minimal amounts of gluten, symptoms may reappear.

Some symptoms, such as low stature and dental problems, may not improve depending on how old you are when your celiac disease is diagnosed. Even if they have no symptoms, people with celiac disease can develop difficulties over time if they do not seek treatment.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Another typical symptom of celiac disease is dermatitis herpetiformis (DH). DH is a rash with bumps and blisters that is extremely itchy. Elbows, buttocks, and knees may be affected. About 15 to 25% of celiac disease patients have DH. The majority of people who have DH don’t have any stomach problems.

It’s necessary to keep in mind that symptoms might differ from person to person depending on a variety of factors, such as:

1. The period of time a child was breast-fed as a baby
2. The age at which someone began eating gluten
3. The proportion of gluten consumed
4. The degree to which intestinal damage has occurred

What Are the Causes of Celiac Diseases

Causes of Celiac disease are your genes, gluten-containing foods, and other factors, but the exact reason is unknown. Practices in infant feeding, gastrointestinal diseases, and gut flora may all play a role. After surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or extreme mental stress, the celiac disease might become active.

The microscopic, hairlike projections (villi) that line the small intestine are damaged when the body’s immune system overreacts to gluten in the diet. Vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients are absorbed by villi from the food individual ingest. A person can’t acquire enough nutrients if his/her villi are damaged, no matter how much a person consumed

Risk Factors

People with the following conditions are more likely to develop celiac disease:

1. Celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis in a family member
2. Diabetes Type 1
3. Turner syndrome or Down syndrome
4. Autoimmune disease
5. Colitis on a microscopic scale (lymphocytic or collagenous colitis)
6. Addison’s disease is a condition that affects the adrenal glands.

How Celiac Disease is Diagnosed?

A physical examination and a medical history are used to make a diagnosis of celiac disease.

Various tests will also be performed by doctors to help confirm a diagnosis. Antiendomysium (EMA) and anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTGA) antibodies are frequently seen in celiac disease patients. Blood tests can be used to detect these. When tests are performed when gluten is still present in the diet, the results are the most accurate.

1. Common Blood Tests includes:
2. (CBC) Complete Blood Count
3. Liver Function Tests
4. Serum Albumin Test
5. Cholesterol Tests 

A skin biopsy can also help doctors diagnose celiac disease in persons with DH. A skin biopsy involves the removal of small fragments of skin tissue for examination under a microscope. An internal biopsy may not be necessary if the skin biopsy and blood test results reveal celiac disease.

An upper endoscopy can be performed to test for celiac disease if the findings of a blood test or a skin biopsy are inconclusive. A narrow tube called an endoscope is put through the mouth and down into the small intestines during an upper endoscopy. The doctor can examine the intestines and check for damage to the villi using a small camera linked to the endoscope. An intestinal biopsy, which involves the removal of a tissue sample from the intestines for analysis, can also be performed by the doctor.