Gluten-free diet have been all the rage in recent years — despite little evidence as to its benefit in the general population. Unfortunately, the fad diet has somewhat shadowed the common and serious celiac disease. About 3 million Americans are affected by the autoimmune condition, in which the immune system is too sensitive to gluten and attacks the body’s small intestine.
The majority of people with the condition — about 97% of patients — don’t know they have celiac disease. The reason might be because the most common symptoms of the disease tend to be vague, such as fatigue, weight loss, bloating, abdominal pain, and constipation. This does not, however, justify dismissing them — here are, for example, 25 health symptoms people always ignore but never should.
Misdiagnosis is not the only problem associated with celiac disease. The later a person is diagnosed, the more likely he or she is to develop another chronic or autoimmune condition.
But it can take months to confirm a celiac diagnosis. Several tests, including blood, genetic, and skin biopsy have to be taken. Going on a gluten-free diet for a few months may also be part of the process to see if the symptoms improve. So it’s important to know the risk factors of the illness in order to possibly detect it early.
Untreated celiac disease may cause several serious health problems, including seizures, malnutrition, infertility, miscarriage, lactose intolerance — so patients may have to stop consuming dairy, too — and softening of the bones.
Click here for 16 of the most common and uncommon risk factors for celiac disease.
Methodology
To compile a list of factors that increase the risk of developing celiac disease, 24/7 Tempo reviewed information on the autoimmune disorder from sources such as Celiac Disease Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, and other sources.
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Family history
Celiac disease is hereditary, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation. The illness sometimes runs in the family. A person whose parent, brother, or sister, for example, have celiac disease has a 1 in 10 risk of developing the condition as well.
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Certain genes
About 90% of people with celiac disease have the HLA-DQ2 or the HLA-DQ8 gene, both of which help the immune system recognize foreign objects such as viruses and bacteria that need to be killed. About 30% of people carry those genes. Because having the gene only means you’re at risk of developing celiac disease, but won’t necessarily develop it — only about 5% of this group actually develop celiac disease.
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Other autoimmune disorder
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder — disorders where the immune system attacks the body. When a person with celiac disease eats foods containing gluten — a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley — the immune system reacts by attacking the small intestine, hindering nutrient absorption. People with one autoimmune disorder are prone to developing other autoimmune disorders, and the risk increases with age, but why that is is unclear. Two of the more common autoimmune conditions in people with celiac disease are type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
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Being overweight or obese
It’s common for celiac disease patients to be overweight, and as many as 13% may be obese, according to research cited by the Celiac Disease Foundation. The reason is the diet — gluten-free foods are often low in fiber, and many processed gluten-free foods have high glycemic index, more fat, and not much protein.
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Diet during infancy
An emerging body of research is exploring the connection between feeding practices during infancy and developing celiac disease during adulthood. While the science is not conclusive, some research suggests a link between the duration of breastfeeding and a lower risk of celiac disease, at least the early onset disease. Other studies show no evidence that breast milk has any effect on the risk of celiac disease. However, the research still recommends breastfeeding.
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Delayed gluten introduction
Multiple studies have been done to investigate whether introducing gluten to a baby’s diet at a particular age increases or decreases the risk of developing celiac disease. As is the case with breastfeeding, there is no conclusive evidence. However, the general consensus is that while early introduction of small amounts of gluten foods does not have an effect, later introduction may only delay celiac disease onset, but not prevent it all together.
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Frequent infections during infancy or childhood
Analysis of reported incidents of infections, suggests that suffering from three or more infections, regardless of the type of infection, during the first six months of life was linked to a significantly higher risk of developing celiac disease. The risk increased in small children with a history of repeated infections and large amounts of gluten introduced after discontinuing breastfeeding.
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