Celiac Disease, sometimes referred to as coeliac or sprue, is a serious chronic autoimmune disorder that has to do with gluten sensitivity. Someone with Celiac Disease may experience damage in the small intestine triggered by eating gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.
Over time, the reaction damages the small intestine’s lining and prevents absorption or certain nutrients. This damage cause abdominal pain, constipation, vomiting, fatigue, anemia, diarrhea, bloating, and weight loss. It can also affect growth and development in children.
Celiac disease can also lead to other symptoms, including the softening of bones and loss of bone density, itchy or blistering skin, damage to tooth enamel, mouth ulcers, injury to the nervous system, joint pain, and reduced functioning of the spleen.
Celiac disease is common in individuals living with Type 1 diabetes, Down Syndrome, Turner Syndrome, Addison’s disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, and individuals with autoimmune thyroid disease. It also tends to run in families.
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What’s interesting about the Celiac Disease is that it is known to be a “European disease” due to the available research on affected populations. Since it is a hereditary disease and that the genes affected are primarily caucasian traits, it’s often said that black people do not suffer from Celiac Disease.
Black patients test negative for the genes predisposing us to Celiac disease and because of this, black patients are misdiagnosed and are therefore unable to
