How is celiac disease treated?

There is no cure for celiac disease, but it is treated effectively by eliminating gluten from the diet for life. With strict adherence to a gluten-free diet, it is possible to stop and even reverse damage to the intestine.

There are many foods containing flour of particular grains and vegetables that are allowable to eat, including potatoes, corn, buckwheat, rice, bean and soy. Newly-diagnosed patients should consult a nutritionist knowledgeable about celiac disease to help them plan a proper diet.

Currently the only known treatment for Celiac disease is a gluten-free diet for life. A gluten-free diet means avoiding all gluten containing grains (i.e., Wheat, Rye, and Barley) and anything derived from these items. Be aware depending on what country you live or travel in, there are different standards for measuring gluten in ready-made products. That means in Europe it may say gluten-free but may have a minute amount of gluten; whereas in the United States and Canada there is zero tolerance for gluten in gluten-free products. You must be careful and assess just how ‘sensitive’ you are to gluten and other items in those foods.

For more information you can go to celiac.com or gig.com

The good news is that celiac disease can usually be treated with dietary changes alone. No medications are required. The bad news is that you must eliminate all gluten, and gluten is found in many products beyond the obvious wheat breads and cereals. To completely avoid gluten requires significant effort and education.

General: Although there is currently no cure for celiac disease, the condition can be managed with diet. Symptoms will subside within several weeks and patients will be able to absorb food normally once they avoid eating gluten. However, it may take several months in children and two to three years in elderly patients for the intestine to fully recover.

Support: Healthcare providers may recommend a dietitian or nutritionist who can help a patient plan an appropriate gluten-free diet. These professionals can also help patients determine whether or not supplementation with vitamins and minerals is necessary.

Gluten-free diet: Patients should avoid all foods that contain gluten. This includes any type of wheat (including farina, graham flour, semolina, and durum), barley, rye, bulgur, Kamut, kasha, matzo meal, spelt, and triticale. Therefore, foods such as bread, cereal, crackers, pasta, cookies, cake, pie, gravy, and sauce should be avoided unless they are labeled as gluten-free.

Many less obvious foods contain gluten. For instance, grains that contain gluten are often used in food additives, such as modified food starch and malt flavoring. Also, some medications, herbal supplements, and vitamins may contain gluten as a binding agent. Lipstick and postage stamps may contain gluten.

Hidden gluten can be found in some unlikely foods, such as cold cuts, soups, hard candies, soy sauce, and many low or non-fat products (such as licorice and jelly beans). Gluten may also come in forms such as vegetable proteins and starch, modified food starch (when derived from wheat instead of corn), maltodextrin, malt flavoring, and glucose syrup. Many common ingredients contain wheat or barley derivatives. Patients with celiac disease should always ask about the ingredients in food when dining at a restaurant or someone else's home.

Patients should consult their healthcare providers and pharmacists before taking any drugs, herbs, or supplements because they may contain gluten.

You should read product labels, and discuss all therapies with a qualified healthcare provider. Natural Standard information does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

There is no cure for celiac disease, but once it is diagnosed, it can be successfully treated with a lifelong gluten-free diet, which should help intestinal villi to fully recover.

To effectively treat celiac disease, absolutely no gluten should be included in your diet. Simply cutting down on gluten won't help. Although this may be difficult, greater diagnosis of celiac disease in North America has brought with it an increase in the availability and awareness of gluten-free alternatives, making a strict gluten-free diet all the more possible and improvements in overall health and quality of life much easier.

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The treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet. Eating even the smallest amount of gluten can cause symptoms such as weight loss and diarrhea.

A gluten-free diet means:

• Avoiding all foods with wheat, barley, rye, triticale (a wheat-rye cross), or oats. Oats may later be gradually reintroduced into the diet.
• Avoiding beer unless it is gluten-free. Beers with and without alcohol, including lagers, ales and stouts, contain gluten unless the label specifically says that the beer is gluten-free.
• Eating meals that include rice, corn, millet and buckwheat.

You may also be advised to temporarily avoid milk or milk products until your intestine heals. Then you may be able to gradually reintroduce them.

For more information about following a gluten-free diet, see Home Treatment.

If you have nutritional deficiencies, you may need other treatments, such as vitamin, iron and calcium supplements.

Treatment for complications varies depending on the specific problems and their severity. For example, some adults may require long-term treatment for complications, such as osteoporosis.

When a gluten-free diet doesn't seem to help

If it seems that you or your child is not getting better, you may need:

• A diet evaluation to ensure that it is gluten-free. Your doctor or dietitian can help you find out if you are eating foods with hidden gluten. Older children and teens may need to be reminded about the importance of staying with the diet.
• Testing for other diseases or conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, if no gluten is detected in your diet.
• Reevaluation of your original upper endoscopy and biopsy to ensure the accuracy of diagnosis.
• Oral steroids (in very rare cases). Experts disagree about using steroid medicines to treat people who have celiac disease and do not get better on a gluten-free diet.

Counseling

Speaking with a counselor, a psychologist or a psychiatrist may help you cope with celiac disease by changing certain thoughts, feelings or behaviors.

Nutritional counseling from a registered dietitian who is familiar with celiac disease can help you create a practical and healthy gluten-free diet.