- Location: 1507 S Hiawassee Rd Ste 105, Orlando, FL 32835
Celiac disease is a common genetic disorder that afflicts the small intestine portion of the digestive system. It compromises the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food.
People with Celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein substance found in wheat, barley, rye, vitamins, and some medicines. Their bodies respond to gluten by destroying the villi projections in the small intestine. These projections absorb nutrients and deposit them into the bloodstream. When the villi are destroyed or damaged, the person cannot take in important nutrients.
Therefore, Celiac disease is a disease of nutrient malabsorption as well as an abnormal response of the immune system to gluten. No cure exists for the disease, but Orlando Gastroenterology physicians help patients manage symptoms.
An Orlando Gastroenterology physician will implement several tests to diagnose Celiac disease, including blood tests, an intestinal biopsy, testing for dermatitis herpetiformis, and celiac disease screenings.
A gluten-free diet is the only treatment for Celiac disease. Completely avoiding gluten will stop symptoms, reverse intestinal damage, and prevent further damage. Healing begins immediately. Children may be symptom-free within three to six months; the small intestine in an adult may take up to two years to heal.
Eliminating gluten from one’s diet means avoiding foods such as wheat, barley, bulgur, rye, semolina, triticale, durum, malt, farina, graham flour, einkorn, kamut, and spelt.
Processed foods that may contain gluten include gravy, French fries, soups, soy sauce, sauces, candy, brown rice syrup, matzo, vegetables in sauce, bouillon, tortilla chips, potato chips, hot dogs, cold cuts, sausage, and imitation fish.
Celiac disease is diagnosed and managed by a gastroenterologist, and the order of events matters more here than with most conditions: testing has to happen before you remove gluten from your diet. Going gluten-free first is the single most common reason a celiac work-up comes back inconclusive.
Orlando Gastroenterology sees patients for celiac testing and long-term management at four offices — MetroWest Orlando, Kissimmee, Clermont and East Orlando — so wherever you are in the area, one should be near you.
A full work-up means blood tests for celiac antibodies and, in most cases, an upper endoscopy with a small-intestine biopsy to confirm it. If those come back negative, the question usually shifts to gluten intolerance, which is managed quite differently.
Call (407) 445-9224 to arrange an appointment — and keep eating gluten until you have been tested.
