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| Celiac disease is an allergic reaction by the digestive system in response to eating gluten. For people who have celiac disease, the villi (hair-like growths in the small intestine that allow the absorbtion of nutrients) don't work properly. |
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| Gluten is a protein found in grains like wheat, rye and barley. Gluten helps to make dough more elastic, and is key to the rubbery dough that many of us know. |
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| When a person with celiac disease eats gluten, a small inflammation builds in the small intestine, which eventually damages the lining of the iintestine and can prevent the absorbtion of some nutrients. |
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| Celiac disease is not curable, but it is treatable, by not eating gluten. |
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| 1 in 133 people in the U.S.A. have celiac disease. That's over 2 million people. |
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| If you have celiac disease, and you eat gluten, your symptoms may include constipation, joint pain, reduced spleen functionality, damage to dental enamel, headaches, injury to the nervous system, anemia, rashes, loss of bone density, diarrhea, weight loss and bloating. |
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| If celiac disease is left untreated, the person may develop other conditions such as cancer, osteoporosis, thyroid disease and type 1 diabetes. Osteoporosis causes people's bones to be weaker, and thyroid disease is when your thyroid gland produces less or more hormones than normal. |
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| The cause of celiac disease is unknown, but it tends to run in families. |
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| People with celiac disease have to remain on their gluten-free diet for the rest of their lives, or symptoms may return. |
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| People with celiac disease can still do all the things that normal people can. There is nothing that prevents them from doing things like playing sports or learning. |
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