Most kids can eat most types of food. But people with celiac disease cannot eat any foods that have gluten.

• About Gluten
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Treatment

About Gluten

Gluten is a protein that is present in wheat, rye, semolina, smelt and barley. Someone who has celiac disease will get a reaction that is not normal if they eat gluten. This reaction occurs in the digestive system, where food is broken down into different parts. In normal digestion, microscopic bumps in the lining of the small intestine, called villi, absorb nutrients from the food you eat. But for someone with celiac disease, gluten causes the body to flatten and destroy the villi, and they can’t absorb nutrients anymore.


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Symptoms

Eating gluten can make someone with celiac disease very sick. The symptoms include:

• Weight loss
  
• Fatigue (tiredness)
  
• Anemia (not enough red blood cells)
  
• Diarrhea
  
• Bloating
  
• Bad mood
  
• Mouth sores
  
• Rashes
  
• Headaches
  
• Small appetite
  
• Less growth than normal

If someone has a lot of these symptoms for an extended period of time, then it is important to see a doctor. The doctor can decide if the person has celiac disease. Sometimes, the doctor needs to take a biopsy of the small intestine -- they remove a small piece of intestine and send it off for testing in order to be sure.


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Diagnosis and Treatment

Most people with celiac disease are diagnosed when they’re around one year old, but sometimes symptoms can start after an injury or trauma or even just randomly. Five to 10 percent of cases are genetic, meaning they run in families.

The only treatment for celiac disease is not eating foods that have gluten in them. Lots of foods -- even ones you might not think of, like ketchup -- have gluten, but luckily, many foods also come in gluten-free versions.

Even if a food doesn’t have gluten in the ingredient list, people with celiac disease have to watch out in case it was contaminated with gluten some other way. It might have touched bread crumbs left in the peanut butter or toaster, or the food could be manufactured in a factory that makes another food with gluten in it.

Avoiding foods with gluten can be hard at first, but kids get the hang of it quickly.

If you have celiac disease, get help from friends, doctors and parents, and you’ll be fine. If you know somebody with celiac disease, do your best to be understanding and supportive.


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