Current estimates suggest that 1 in every 133 Americans suffers a reaction to ingesting gluten, which is present in many food products. Gluten is found in many foods otherwise considered wholesome, making the supermarket or restaurant for those who have and intolerance or with celiac disease a dangerous place to be.
Patients find the sensitivity to wheat and associated glutens range in severity from mildly annoying to very serious. The intolerance is broken into (3) categories: Allergy, Intolerance, and Celiac Disease disorder. New data suggests that 1 out of every 20 persons diagnosed as having irritable bowel syndrome suffer from celiac disease.
If you have an allergy to wheat, you probably already realize it. Itchy, watery eyes, running nose, skin rash, wheezing or diarrhea happen very quickly after ingesting wheat. Eliminating wheat may be enough to relieve your symptoms and you may still be able to eat oat or rye products without incidence. Gluten intolerance, though many consider it to be a wheat allergy, is actually a separate issue. A person with gluten intolerance has a severe reaction to a specific protein within wheat called gluten. It can be gluten intolerance on its own, or stemming from a disease like celiac disease.
Wheat allergies, like all food allergies, are caused when the immune system mistakenly recognizes proteins in food as dangerous substances and fights against them by releasing immunoglobulin antibodies, histamine and other chemicals. These chemicals cause the reaction. There are four proteins in wheat that can trigger your immune response: albumin, globulin, gliadin and gluten. Many people who react to gluten don’t necessarily have wheat allergies. The gluten intolerance or celiac disease is caused by different processes.
Intolerance to gluten causes digestive distress such as ache, bloating and diarrhea. Skin issues like itching, eczema and hives as well as joint and muscle pain are symptoms of intolerance. Conditions such as fatigue, malabsorption of nutrients, as well as headaches including migraines are not uncommon for people suffering from gluten intolerance.
Risk factors include age and family history. Children are more likely to have wheat allergies than adults, because children with the allergies tend to outgrow them. A family history of wheat allergies and other common allergies also increases the risk.
If you have celiac disease (symptoms include those listed before) you must avoid gluten totally to avoid destroying your small intestine and possibly leading to more serious diseases including cancer. Adults that have been diagnosed with medical concerns including diabetes, osteoporosis, and even some forms of cancer have a higher risk of developing a wheat allergy. If you suspect intolerance or celiac disease antibody screenings can diagnose your intolerance.
Our approach to gluten intolerance and various sensitivities is to test and confirm that you have this condition and to what severity or underlying health risks that you may be exposed to. We perform either a “skin test” or “blood test” to confirm our prognosis and counsel you on ways to improve your overall digestive health through either supplements or nutrition. Celiac disease, can pose many potential health risks, it is important that if it is suspected that it be verified and lifestyle changes made before progression of the disease and possible future health complications. Diagnosing celiac disease early is important to the medical outcome and can be diagnosed at early ages in children falling within listed risk factors and food intolerances.
