Celiac Disease

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Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a chronic digestive and immune disorder that damages the small intestine. When you have celiac disease, eating foods that contain gluten can trigger your immune system to attack the small intestine. It can create long-lasting digestive problems and keep your body from getting all the nutrients it needs.

Symptoms and diagnosis

Some people with celiac disease have no symptoms. Digestive symptoms are more common in children than adults. Along with digestive problems, you may also have symptoms of celiac disease in other parts of your body.

Information from your medical and family history, a physical exam, and medical test results will help doctors look for signs that you could have celiac disease. Doctors diagnose celiac disease with blood tests, biopsies (tissue samples) of the small intestine, skin biopsies, and genetic tests.

Treatment

Treatment for celiac disease requires that you follow a gluten-free diet that can help reduce inflammation in the intestine. Your doctor will explain the gluten-free diet and may refer to you a registered dietitian who specializes in treating people who have the disease. A dietitian can show you how to avoid gluten but still enjoy a healthy, balanced diet.

UAB GI program

UAB Medicine is known worldwide as a leading center for digestive and liver disorders. Our gastroenterology and gastrointestinal (GI) program is consistently ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report. We see over 20,000 patients and perform more than 12,000 outpatient procedures each year.

Our GI program is also historically significant. The inventor of the endoscope, Basil Hirschowitz, M.D., founded our program more than 50 years ago. His innovation revolutionized diagnoses for GI and other conditions and continues to inspire us today. Our interventional endoscopy group, which includes endoscopic ultrasound, is one of the busiest and most prestigious in the country – both clinically and academically.

UAB Medicine continues to lead advancements in gastroenterology through active clinical research trials involving the latest drug therapies and other treatments for digestive disorders. Our doctors and scientists are searching for causes and cures for many GI illnesses through basic research. For example, they study how the bacteria in our intestines affect our health.