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Preventative Medicine and Celiac Disease
Get Tested — Then Get Informed
As a registered nurse, I used to write frequently on the topic of celiac disease and gluten intolerance. And then, due to a traumatic divorce and its aftermath, I stopped. But it’s time to jump back in to writing about the genetic autoimmune disorder known as celiac disease (CD), because isn’t new, or fading into the distance, or a fad: It’s real and it’s still here.
I’ve long mastered the ins and outs of following a gluten-free diet for myself, and I’ve coached many newly diagnosed people (children and adults) on the intricacies of the GF diet and meal planning (avoiding wheat, barley, rye, and any foods made from these grains). But here’s a sad fact: the majority of people with celiac disease remain undiagnosed, and therefore, untreated. The good news is that there are many, wonderful resources to help patients find the information they need — a great improvement on the help that was available when I was diagnosed.
As a healthcare professional, what bothers me most is the persistent lack of routine testing, which, of course, means underdiagnosis. Underdiagnosis, in turn, means that people continue to suffer. Blood tests can reveal whether someone is producing the specific antibodies that are a hallmark of celiac disease — at least as long as the person is continuing to…
