Celiac disease is a
digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with
absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot
tolerate a protein called gluten, found in wheat, rye, and barley.
Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in products we use
every day, such as stamp and envelope adhesive, medicines, and vitamins.
When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing
gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the small intestine.
The tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine are damaged
or destroyed. Called villi, they normally allow nutrients from food to
be absorbed into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person
becomes malnourished, regardless of the quantity of food eaten.
Because the body’s own immune system causes the damage, celiac disease
is considered an autoimmune disorder. However, it is also classified as
a disease of malabsorption because nutrients are not absorbed. Celiac
disease is also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and
gluten-sensitive enteropathy.
Celiac disease is a
genetic disease, meaning it runs in families. Sometimes the disease is
triggered—or becomes active for the first time—after surgery, pregnancy,
childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.
