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P.O. Box 24249
3007 DE Rotterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 10 290 91 55
Fax: +31 10 486 09 28
E-mail: info@tis-co.nl |
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Coeliac Disease is a life-long inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, which is caused by gluten, a protein in wheat, and similar proteins in rye, barley and oats.
In a Coeliac, gluten damages the lining of the small intestine which greatly reduces the ability of the gut to absorb adequate nutrients from food. Wasting can occur, leading to severe illness resembling malnutrition.
Coeliac patients may be acutely and severely ill with weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea or they may have chronic almost trivial symptoms such as tiredness, lethargy and breathlessness. Usual symptoms would be somewhere between these extremes.
Adults may have a history of abdominal or intestinal upsets, or they may suddenly develop the condition at any time. Amaemia, abdominal discomfort, mouth ulcers and weight loss are common features. A Coeliac baby would be fit and well until after the introduction of gluten-containing solids.
If left untreated, coeliac disease can lead to anaemia, bone disease and, rarely, some forms of cancer. The most important treatment is avoiding all food that contains gluten. This usually results in improvement, or even disappearance, of the damage to the lining of the bowel. However, the damage will recur if gluten is re-introduced into the diet.
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