Celiac disease, also known as gluten-sensitive or gluten intolerance, is an autoimmune disease that leads to damage to the lining of the small intestine when foods containing gluten are eaten. Gluten is a very complex type of protein found in some grains. The damage to the intestine makes it hard for the body to absorb nutrients, especially fat, calcium, iron, and folate.

What Causes Celiac Disease?

Normally, our body’s immune system is designed to protect it from foreign invasions. When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their immune system forms antibodies to the gluten, which then attack the intestinal lining. This causes inflammation in the intestines and damages the villi, the hair-like structures on the lining of the small intestine. Nutrients from food are normally absorbed by the villi. If the villi are damaged, the person cannot absorb nutrients properly and ends up malnourished, no matter how much he or she eats.

Different people will experience the disease in different ways because the symptoms vary greatly from one person to the next. Often, symptoms of celiac disease are confused with other disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome and lactose intolerance.