The IAA One Minute Blog

Everyone loves bread products: cake, pizza, pasta, who can resist those delicious treats? There are people who suffer from a syndrome called celiac disease, which can make them sick from eating these types of foods. May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month.

What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is an immune reaction to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. When the body's immune system overreacts to gluten in the food, the immune reaction damages the tiny hair-like projections that line the small intestine.

Celiac disease affects about one in 141 people in the United States. The precise cause of celiac disease is unknown.

Signs and Symptoms

Both adults and children can have celiac disease, but show different signs and symptoms.

Common symptoms for adults include:

• Arthritis
• Bone loss or osteoporosis
• Bone or joint pain
• Depression or anxiety
• Iron deficiency
• Mouth sores
• Seizures
• Skin rash
• Tingling numbness in hands and feet

Infants and children with celiac disease tend to have digestive problems. Common symptoms include:

• Abdominal bloating and pain: These symptoms result from a failure of the small intestine to absorb nutrients from food.
• Chronic diarrhea and constipation
• Decreased appetite and failure to gain weight
• Fatigue
• Growth problems
• Irritability
• Vomiting

For teens with celiac disease, symptoms may not occur until they are triggered by something stressful, such as, leaving home for college or suffering an injury/illness.

Some patients will not have any symptoms of the disease because their intestine is still able to absorb a sufficient amount of nutrients to prevent their occurrence.

What IAA has to Say

Celiac disease can be a life-altering diagnosis as the patient has to rethink their entire diet. In honor of Celiac Disease Awareness Month, Insurance Administrator of America encourages you to send this blog post along to friends and colleagues. With IAA, one call does it all!

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