Celiac Disease, Research Paper Example

Celiac disease is a condition that attacks and damages the lining of the small intestine. This in turn prevents or inhibits the absorption of essential nutrients that are important to healthy well-being. This form of reaction is attributed to obtaining too much gluten in the system, mainly from cereal products like Wheat, Rye and Oats. The results of the illness lead towards the patient becoming malnourished by a lack of absorption of essential nutrients. Caucasian people seem to be at increased risk suggesting a genetic and hereditary connection. The disease is also more prevalent amongst women. The disease puts the person at increased risk of certain more serious illness like that of Addison’s disease, Downs Syndrome, Intestinal Lymphoma/ Cancer and type 1 diabetes. (PubMed Health, 2012).

Diagnosis

There has been an increased level of awareness about the disease in recent years. This has allowed for medical practitioners to conduct screening tests for the disease. The standard diagnostic is conducted mainly through a series of test that can include one or more of the following: (1) Blood tests (2) Small bowel biopsy and (3) recovery via gluten free diet. The main consideration is the small bowel biopsy and then a positive diagnosis results in a gluten free diet to start removing excesses out of the system. Future blood tests should indicate a reversal of the illness and the symptoms should eventually disappear. Eventually any small bowel injury should self-heal but the patients need to retain follow-up consultations with their family doctors to ensure adequate progress in the treatment regime. (Health Canada, 2012).

Nutritional Issues

Health Canada describes certain nutritional issues related to Celiac disease, for example it is the gluten that is accumulated from cereal grain crops which is used in bread and other foods which make it widely distributed amongst a variety of foodstuffs that we regularly consume. Certain humans have a genetic susceptibility to the ingestion of gluttonous products and as such make them more prone to Celiac disease. (Health Canada, 2012).

The best nutritional diet recommended for Celiac disease was updated in 2006 by the American Diabetic Association who produced the following table of permissible foods. (US Dept of Health, 2012). Fig 1 refers.

Nursing Contribution

The nurse can help in the formulation of the appropriate gluten free dietary considerations. This should include a list of allowable foods, a list of non-allowable foods and clarification on processed foods. It is important to educate patients on examining food labels and taking care only to consume foods that are an allowable part of the diet. In addition, it is also important to get other family members tested because of the genetic disposition. It is important to remember that Celiac disease is treated by eliminating all gluten from the diet. (Green, P.H. 2010)

The gluten-free diet is a lifetime requirement. In addition, the nursing dietitian can teach a person with celiac disease about the important aspects of food selection, label reading, and assist in personal strategies to help manage the disease. (Fasano, A. 2008)

References

Alessio Fasano, R. T. (2008). Frontiers in celiac disease. Basel: Karker.

Health Canada. (2012, 3 15). Celiac Disease. Retrieved from Health Canada: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/allerg/cel-coe/index-eng.php

Peter H. R. Green, R. J. (2010). Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic. New York: Harper Collins.

PubMed Health. (2012, 3 15). Celiac Disease. Retrieved from PubMed Health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001280/

US Dept of Health. (2012, 3 15). National Digestive Diseases . Retrieved from US Dept of Health: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/

Figure 1 Diet for Celiac Disease, source US Dep’t of Health. 2