Celiac Disease Essay

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Celiac Disease: A Real Autoimmune Disease
Celiac Disease. It is a bit of a buzz word, with many people believing this disease to be a joke. The celebrities are participating in a fad, that gluten-free diet, it must be so healthy for them and that must be why people with “celiac disease” are eating it too. Except they are not. Celiac Disease, or CD, is a disease that affect the small intestinal mucosa due to inflammation. The inflammation is due to the body attacking itself in the presence of gluten. CD cannot be prevented and there is no true treatment. The inflammation destroys the small intestine and very little food is digested and absorbed. Patients lose weight and are constantly tired. “Just take the bun off; it will not hurt, right?” …show more content…

It is composed of three sections: the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum. The shortest of the three and the first portion of the small intestine, the duodenum at about 22 centimeters in length, connects the stomach and the middle portion of the small intestine: the jejunum. It contains the common bile duct opening and the main pancreatic duct which allow for the digesting fluid, bile, to enter the small intestine. The jejunum and the ileum make up the rest of the small intestine, all 7m of it. It is in these parts of the small intestine that food is digested and …show more content…

Unlike other autoimmune diseases, however, CD has a known trigger: gluten. The person with celiac disease must have a genetic predisposition, presence of the trigger, and an immune mediated response; it is these three factors that are required for CD. The majority of patients with celiac disease have the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8. Although these antigens are often found in patients with CD, not all people with celiac disease have these antigens and not all people with these antigens have CD. (Lewis, 998) Gluten, found in wheat, rye, and barley, contains peptides called prolamines. Partial digestion of gluten releases these peptides which are then absorbed into the intestinal submucosa; the peptides bind to the HLA and activate an inflammatory response. Celiac Disease is similar to most autoimmune diseases, in that chronic inflammation causes tissue destruction; it is this inflammation that damages the microvilli and brush border of small intestinal mucosa, decreasing nutrient absorption surface area and enzymes required for digestion (Medscape, 2009). Because food is majorly digested in the small intestine the damaged brush border and microvilli as well as the decreased surface area allow for very little nutrient absorption. The most important nutrients that cannot be digested include carbohydrates, proteins, fat, iron, calcium, zinc, as well as

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