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Diagnosis of Celiac Disease
Celiac disease has mostly been misdiagnosed owing to its symptoms imitating
many other diseases. The diagnosis of celiac disease seems to be a long
one but it is worth and very essential to confirm the disease. This will
at least provide peace finally after knowing that you are affected with
this only instead of not knowing what the exact reason is.
The initial stage involves a blood test. In
case of celiac disease, because the immune system attacks the gluten cells
present in the intestines, the presence of defensive antibodies that would
have arisen in the attack will be present in the blood and diagnosed by
a blood test. However, it is not a confirmation stage, since there are
possibilities for other things having shown a strong likelihood and caused
a positive result.
The next stage includes a little complicated procedure. Endoscopy
is used to determine if any damage is done to the mucosa lining and to
determine the extent of this damage. This confirms the presence of celiac
disease. Mucosa is covered by microscopic villi, which is responsible
for nutrient absorption from the food passing through the bloodstream.
Villi will be as little bumps to increase the surface area meant for absorption.
In the presence of celiac disease, the natural
defense mechanisms of the body attack gluten when it comes to the intestines
through food. The mechanisms target the villi and flatten them so that
the area for absorption is greatly reduced. This is probably why some
affected children stop to grow.
In addition to endoscopy, a small camera is
sent down the throat to observe the intestines. A biopsy will be taken
to look into the state of villi. A general anaesthetic is given only in
case of children. Though it is not a painful procedure, it is a bit uncomfortable.
Though all these steps seem to be a long one for diagnosis, this helps
to ensure the diagnosis and take the necessary steps later. The biopsy
procedure is called the 'gold standard' celiac disease diagnosis.
And if you are certain that you already possess the disease, then this
procedure will seem tiring. But it is worth. It may last for a month sometimes,
when you will need to be on a gluten-free diet.
It becomes a necessary after the endoscopy is started to have a gluten-free
diet later on. In addition, when it is confirmed, you have no other option
but to have a gluten-free diet whether you like it or not. Initially the
gluten-free foods
were available only on prescription, but now it is available without one.
This is better since the entire family needs to be on the diet later since
it is a genetically inherited disease.
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