Celiac disease is a chronic, autoimmune disorder in which the portion of the gastrointestinal tract involving the small intestine can be damaged when a person consumes gluten – a substance that is typically found in wheat, rye, oats and barley. As with many autoimmune diseases, diagnosis of celiac disease can be somewhat difficult due to the various ways it presents in different patients, and is often accomplished only by excluding all other possibilities. Left untreated, celiac disease can cause serious health problems ranging from osteoporosis to vitamin deficiency, anemia, epileptic seizures, infertility and intestinal cancers. While the only current treatment for this disorder is maintaining a gluten-free diet, once diagnosed most patients can successfully manage their disease thanks in part to improved food labeling and many food products that are now made with gluten-free diets in mind.
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