Home > Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine > Celiac Disease

Definition

Celiac disease occurs when the body reacts abnormally to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats. Gluten causes an inflammatory response in the small intestine, which damages the tissues and results in impaired ability to absorb nutrients from foods.

Description

Celiac disease—also called sprue, nontropical sprue, gluten sensitive enteropathy, celiac sprue, and adult celiac disease—may be discovered at any age. Researchers believe that a combination of genetic and environmental factors trigger the disease. Environmental events that may provoke celiac disease in those with a genetic predisposition to the disorder include surgery or a viral infection.

The disorder is more commonly found among white Europeans or those of European descent. The exact incidence of the disease is uncertain. Estimates vary from one in 5,000 to as many as one in every 300 individuals with this...