Donna-celiac

[Guest guest]

Hi Donna,

Well, Fliss just about summed it up. Celiac is an auto-immune

disease and when the body ingests gluten, it sends out white cells

to attack, leading to the destruction of the villa (hair like cells

in the small intestine). When the intestine becomes damaged, the

body cannot absorb nutrients, therefor leading to other problems

such as osteoporosis, etc. Celiac's also have a high risk of

developing Diabetes (I think type 2), and also have a higher risk of

intestinal cancer (highly incurable). So you can see the importance

of remaining gluten-free when you're diagnosed with Celiac. The

diagnoses is based on blood tests and endoscopic biopsies from the

small intestine. When I went to see Dr. Lehman for the first time

in march, he did an ERCP and also checked for celiac. I had heard

of it but never thought I would have it. But I am glad that he went

the " extra mile " to check things out. Well, I guess that is my

little summary. Hope this helps.

Kris in TN