Celiac Disease

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Celiac disease is an immune disease in which people can't eat gluten because it will damage their small intestine. If you have celiac disease and eat foods with gluten, your immune system responds by damaging the small intestine. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It may also be in other products like vitamins and supplements, hair and skin products, toothpastes, and lip balm.

Celiac disease affects each person differently. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system, or in other parts of the body. One person might have diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another person may be irritable or depressed. Irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children. Some people have no symptoms.

Celiac disease is genetic. Blood tests can help your doctor diagnose the disease. Your doctor may also need to examine a small piece of tissue from your small intestine. Treatment is a diet free of gluten.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Celiac Disease (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Celiac Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Symptoms and Causes of Celiac Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Symptoms of Celiac Disease (University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center) - PDF

Diagnosis and Tests

• Antibody Screening for Celiac Disease (University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center) - PDF
• Celiac Disease Screening (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Celiac Disease Testing (for Health Care Professionals) (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Diagnosis of Celiac Disease (University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center) - PDF
• Xylose Testing (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Treatment and Follow Up (Celiac Disease Foundation)
• Treatment for Celiac Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Celiac Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Follow-Up Testing for Celiac Disease (University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center) - PDF
• Getting Started on a Gluten-Free Diet (Gluten Intolerance Group)
• Gluten-Free Diet Guide for Families (North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) - PDF
• Gluten-Free Foods (Celiac Disease Foundation)
• Gluten-Free Labeling of Foods (Food and Drug Administration)
• Restaurant Dining: Seven Tips for Staying Gluten Free (Gluten Intolerance Group)
• Sources of Gluten (Celiac Disease Foundation)

Related Issues

• Associated Autoimmune Diseases (Gluten Intolerance Group)
• Celiac Disease and Thyroid Conditions (Gluten Intolerance Group)
• Dental Enamel Defects and Celiac Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Diabetes and Celiac Disease (Gluten Intolerance Group)
• What People with Celiac Disease Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Specifics

• Dermatitis Herpetiformis (for Health Care Professionals) (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Slowly Responsive Celiac Disease (Celiac Disease Foundation)

Genetics

• Celiac disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetic Screening for Celiac Disease (University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center) - PDF

Videos and Tutorials

• Gluten and Celiac Disease (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Celiac Disease (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: The Screening of Celiac Serology in Pediatric Patients Diagnosed with Type...
• Article: Intervention strategies in early childhood to prevent celiac disease-a mini-review.
• Article: Coeliac Disease Case-Control Study: Has the Time Come to Explore beyond...
• Celiac Disease -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Find a Healthcare Practitioner (Celiac Disease Foundation)
• Find a Nutrition Expert (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Gluten Intolerance Group
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Celiac Disease (Nemours Foundation)
• Pediatric Celiac Disease (North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition)

Teenagers

• Celiac Disease (Nemours Foundation)

Patient Handouts

• Celiac disease - nutritional considerations (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Celiac disease - sprue (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Learn about gluten-free diets (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish