Word: celiacous
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...come down with celiac disease this week, you might not know it until 2015. It's not that the illness is symptom free. Caused by a severe allergy to gluten (a protein found in wheat and other grains), the disease can cause diarrhea, gas, cramping and weight loss--which is why doctors often mistakingly assume it's irritable bowel syndrome. Or it might show up instead as joint pain, or fatigue, or a skin rash...
...wonder celiac disease is known as the great pretender, and why it takes an average of 11 years to diagnose. An expert panel convened by the National Institutes of Health last month estimated that some 3 million Americans may suffer from the illness--10 times as many as doctors once thought. The disease is not just discomforting; gluten from wheat, rye, barley and several other grains triggers an immune response that attacks the lining of the intestines, cutting down on the absorption of calcium, iron and other nutrients...
Over time, says Dr. David Elliott, director of the Celiac Clinic at the University of Iowa medical center, celiac disease can lead to osteoporosis, anemia and severe weight loss. There is also an increased risk of diabetes, thyroid disease, liver disease and arthritis. Fortunately, celiac disease has become a lot easier to diagnose in the past few years, thanks to more reliable blood tests. If the results are positive, a quick biopsy of the small bowel provides a definitive verdict. The trick now, say experts, is to teach primary-care doctors to recognize the symptoms and test for the disease...
Unfortunately, there's no cure for celiac disease, which seems to be caused by a genetic defect. But there is a remedy that's 100% effective: stay away from gluten. That isn't as easy as it sounds. Breads and cereals are obvious sources of the offending protein, but it's also used--and not always labeled--as an additive in cold cuts, soups, soy sauce, malt vinegar and even jelly beans...
Whatever you do, don't assume that you can reliably diagnose the condition yourself. "We get calls all the time from people who have been gluten-free for six months or a year and now wonder if they have celiac disease," says Sue Goldstein, founder of the Westchester Celiac Support Group in New York. By then, diagnosis is very difficult; the telltale antibodies will have disappeared, and the intestinal biopsy may not show anything wrong. You may even have to re-expose yourself to wheat--and get sick again--to prove that your gut instinct was right...