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Tuesday, January 17th Gluten-Free Flour taste testing!
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What is Celiac Disease? Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease. A protein found in wheat, rye and barley causes the body's immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine. |
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What are the Symptoms? Celiac Disease presents itself in many ways. Symptoms include but are not limited to: |
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| How common is it?
1 in 133 Americans according to a recent study by the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland. That amounts to nearly 3-million people in the United States, most of whom are undiagnosed. |
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How is it diagnosed? Good blood tests are now available including IgA antihuman tissue transglutaminase (TTG) and IgA endomysial antibody immunofluorescence (EMA). The NIH Consensus Conference on Celiac Disease recommended serologic testing as the first step in diagnosis with biopsy of the small intestine indicated if the blood tests are positive. Testing must be done while the patient is on a gluten-containing diet. 97% of people
with celiac disease have the genetic markers HLA DQ2 and/or DQ8
compared to 40% of the general population who have these markers so
an individual without these markers is unlikely to have celiac
disease.
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| How is it treated?
Life-long adherence to a gluten-free diet. |
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