Everyone gets the feeling they've eaten too much occasionally.
But those pains and swelling are constant for people with an
autoimmune disorder called coeliac disease.
Many of those afflicted do not understand the source of their
problems, say medical experts. Getting a proper diagnosis can be a
long, painful journey. And a positive diagnosis of gluten
intolerance means a lifetime of specialized diets. However,
following that diet helps people control the problem. Grains are
the root of the problem, which lies in the body's inability to
process the protein gluten, found abundantly in barley, oats, rye,
spelt and wheat. Sufferers of what is called coeliac disease among
children, sprue among adults, need a diet free of those foods.
"A weakness in the immune system causes the membranes of the
small intestine to become permeable to gluten," says Sofia Beisel,
a nutritionist with the German Coeliac Society (DZG). The gluten
eventually makes the intestine porous, preventing it from absorbing
nutrients. Weight loss, diarrhea and malnutrition all combine to
make the patient even weaker.
Joern Reckel, a general practitioner in Ahrensburg, says many
people have a tendency to coeliac disease, but never suffer major
problems, making a correct diagnosis among adults difficult, says
Professor Joachim Moessner, director of the medical clinic at the
University Clinic of Leipzig.
It only becomes serious when the patient suffers regular
diarrhea, accompanied by weakness, weight loss and lack of energy.
To diagnose the condition correctly, patients must undergo an
intestinal endoscopy or an analysis of the intestinal tissue to
find a certain blood-borne antibody. Reckel argues that people with
sprue should be tested for other intolerances as the illness often
indicates other microbiological disturbances.
Once diagnosed, a sufferer has to face a lifelong diet free of
gluten. "That's a major change," says Beisel. While more and more
gluten-free products can now be found in supermarkets, they are
still more expensive than ordinary products. But cheating on the
diet can have serious consequences, says Margret Marlo, a dietary
assistant from Bocholt. These include lymphatic cancer in the small
intestine.
Keeping to a strict diet helps the small intestine to
regenerate, usually quite quickly. Then sufferers can carry on
their lives with minimal risks and limitations.
(China Daily via DPA March 28, 2007)