Gluten-Free Diet: The Medical and Nutrition Management of Celiac Disease

Abstract

Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic disease causing inflammation of the proximal small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed individuals when they eat gluten, which is the storage protein in wheat, barley, and rye. The disease injury usually resolves when gluten is excluded from the diet. Although the injury will heal, the reaction to gluten is permanent and will recur with the reintroduction of gluten. The condition is surprisingly common, affecting as many as 1% of white populations. The consequences of the disease are predominantly those of malnutrition due to maldigestion and malabsorption, such as diarrhea, weight loss, and anemia. Symptoms caused by inflammation of the small intestine are also common. CD, although it is common and its pathology is well understood, frequently goes undiagnosed, probably because of the nonspecific or vague nature of many of the symptoms that occur.

The cornerstone of treatment for CD is elimination of gluten from the diet. In most patients diagnosed with CD, a strict gluten-free diet (GFD) alone should result in complete symptomatic and histologic resolution of the disease and reduce risk of complications. Noncompliance with diet is the leading cause of failure to respond in patients with CD. For these reasons, thorough assessment and counseling at the time of diagnosis and ongoing care are crucial. In this article, we address briefly what is known about the pathogenesis and diagnosis of CD and address its treatment in detail.