Celiac Disease

Science: Celiac disease is a serious genetic autoimmune disorder where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. It’s an autoimmune disease where people can not digest wheat, oats, rye, and barley. When a person with celiac eats gluten they may get: Anemia, usually resulting from iron deficiency,Loss of bone density (osteoporosis) or softening of bone (osteomalacia), Itchy, blistery skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis), damage to dental enamel, mouth ulcers,Headaches and fatigue, nervous system injury, including numbness and tingling in the feet and hands, possible problems with balance, and cognitive impairment, Joint pain, Reduced functioning of the spleen (hyposplenism), Acid reflux and heartburn, Stomach aches, or sometimes have none of these.

Society: It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide. Two and one-half million Americans are undiagnosed and are at risk for long-term health complications. So many people have it and don’t even know it. The people who have it and don’t know it cause they don’t get symptoms health gets affected in the long run and great chances or having death threatening diseases.

Self: When I was younger years old I would always get stomach pains and no one knew why. I had them worse when I was 9 so they took me to the hospital and could not figure out what was wrong so they sent me to a G.I doctor and ran a bunch of test and it turned out I had celiac. It sucked at first to get use to since it was uncommon and not many knew about it. Once I got use to it, it became easier as I got older and turned out to be not so bad. Also as I got older more restaurants and places are coming out with more gluten free options. I think it's cool how people with celiac disease has a better chance of living longer in terms of health then an average person.

Sources:

Beyond Celiac. "Celiac Disease Research News." Beyond Celiac Research. Beyond Celiac, 2016. Web. 30 Nov. 2016. <http://www.beyondceliac.org/research-news/>.  

Mayo Clinic Staff Print, Mayo Clinic. "Celiac Disease." Overview - Celiac Disease - Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 17 Aug. 2016. Web. 30 Nov. 2016. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/home/ovc-20214625>.

Dharmesh H. Kaswala, Gopal Veeraraghavan, Ciaran P. Kelly and Daniel A. Leffler *. "Celiac Disease: Diagnostic Standards and Dilemmas." MDPI. The Celiac Center, Division of Gastroenterology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA, 16 June 2015. Web. 30 Nov. 2016. <http://www.mdpi.com/2079-9721/3/2/86/htm>.