The Effects Of Celiac Disease In Children

Celiac disease is characterized by an extreme response of the immune system to the consumption of gluten. Celiac disease, also called nontropical sprue, celiac sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy, causes the immune system to react to gluten by destroying the cells of the small intestines.

This condition is often diagnosed in infancy and childhood, but may not be evident until later in life. The most common symptom of celiac disease in children is irritability. Other common symptoms include abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Before the infant begins to eat food containing gluten, and it than with celiac disease may have normal digestion and growth. As foods containing gluten are added to the infant’s diet, the infant with celiac disease may experience diarrhea, projectile vomiting, a distended abdomen, irritability, poor weight gain, and poor growth.

Celiac disease in children often causes poor appetite and poor growth. The child symptoms may temporarily cease during adolescence. The symptoms of celiac disease may reemerge in early adulthood.

The only known treatment for celiac disease is to follow gluten-free diet. If a child is diagnosed with celiac disease, it is often beneficial for the entire family to follow gluten-free diet. This prevents the child from being exposed to foods containing gluten in the home and may reduce stress on the parents caused by needing to watch the child’s intake of food at all times.

Some parents of children with celiac disease experience anxiety about the child attending school. While attending school, the child is likely to come in contact with food that contains gluten in the school cafeteria and perhaps during student birthday celebrations or snack time.

The child’s celiac disease and need for a gluten-free diet should be discussed with the school nurse, school dietician, and the student’s teacher. Parents may also want to discuss the celiac disease with the principal of the school.

The child will need to follow a gluten-free diet for their entire lives. Gluten is present in foods containing wheat, rye, and barley. Some foods that are not associated with wheat, barley, or rye may contain gluten such as lunchmeat and frozen potatoes.

Parents will need to educate their child about following a gluten-free diet. Parents can gradually give children more responsibility for following a gluten-free diet and teach them how to read food labels and identify which foods contain gluten.