Food Allergy Or Celiac Disease - Do You Know the Difference?

Celiac disease is one of the most commonly- Rash
misdiagnosed diseases today, partly because its- Bloating
symptoms often resemble a variety of other diseases.- Dizziness
One of the most common misperceptions of Celiac- Nausea
disease is that it is a food allergy to wheat or gluten.- Vomiting
But, Celiac disease refers specifically to an- Sneezing
autoimmune disorder that is triggered when anThe Bodies Response to Gluten- Note the Differences
individual consumes gluten.While both allergies and Celiac disease are linked to
What is gluten? Gluten is a specific kind of protein thatgluten, the way in which the body responds to gluten is
is found in rye, wheat and barley. And, this is theimportant to note as there are several key
substance that causes symptoms in patients sufferingdifferences.
from wheat allergy and with Celiac disease. So, withAnti-Bodies-When the body comes into direct contact
similar symptoms, how do you know the differencewith gluten, in an allergic reaction, the body would
between a wheat allergy and Celiac disease?create immunoglobulin E antibodies. But, if the person
Symptoms of Celiac Diseasehas Celiac disease and comes into contact with the
Individuals can have Celiac their whole lives insame gluten, their body would create immunoglobulin A
dormancy, with symptoms not arising until somethingand anti-tissue transglutaminase.
triggers it. Some of the more common triggers includeThe Body's Response- When someone has a food
severe stress or trauma, surgery, sever infection orallergy to wheat, their body will respond to the allergy
pregnancy. The symptoms of Celiac disease varyby releasing chemicals that cause the body to show
greatly, and can include the following:symptoms. But, when a patient who is suffering with
- Bloating and stomach painCeliac disease comes into contact with the same
- Depressionsubstance, their body will attack itself, generally in the
- Heartburn or indigestionarea of the small intestine.
- ConstipationResponse to Drugs Medical Testing- Most allergy
- Nauseapatients will utilize some form of histamine to treat their
- Chronic diarrheasymptoms. But, this same drug will not alleviate the
- Joint and bone painssymptoms that are shown in Celiac patients.
These are just a few of the primary symptoms ofTo test for allergies, your physician will either use a
Celiac disease. And, if any of these symptoms areblood test to determine if there are specific antibodies
experienced on an ongoing basis, it is important topresent within the blood or they will perform a scratch
discuss them with your physician.test on the skin. To determine whether you have
Wheat Allergy SymptomsCeliac disease, your physician will first perform a full
While there are a number of possible symptoms toexamination. Then, they will generally test your blood
patients suffering from a wheat allergy, the mostfor specific antibodies; tissue transglutaminase antibody
common symptoms include:and endomysial antibody.
- Swollen throat or tongue