Wiki page
celiac disease
How to read this page
Start with the article narrative. Use the right sidebar to jump from prose into concept context, nearby graph relationships, and source provenance.
Other names: Celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, endemic sprue, gluten enteropathy, celiac disease (US spelling)
Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune disease primarily affecting the small intestine, caused by an abnormal immune response to gluten — a protein complex found in wheat, barley, rye, and related grains. In genetically predisposed individuals, eating gluten triggers intestinal inflammation that damages the mucosal lining and leads to malabsorption.
Quick-Reference Card
| Property | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Chronic autoimmune |
| Target organ | Small intestine (primarily) |
| Trigger | Gluten (gliadin/glutenin proteins) |
| Onset | Any age; most develop before age 10 |
| Duration | Lifelong |
| Frequency | 1 in 50 to 1 in 200 people |
| Diagnosis | Blood tests (TTG IgA) + intestinal biopsy |
| Treatment | Lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD) |
| Specialty | Gastroenterology, internal medicine |
Key Points
- Symptoms range from none (asymptomatic) to severe malabsorption and systemic complications affecting virtually every organ.
- Estimated 70% of cases remain undiagnosed and untreated globally.
- Most people develop the disease before age 10; ~20% are diagnosed after age 60.
- Slightly more common in women than men.
- The only current treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD).
- Symptoms can improve within days of starting a GFD.
Related Concepts
- causes — gluten proteins, genetics (HLA-DQ2/DQ8), environmental triggers
- mechanism — immune pathway, tissue transglutaminase, villous atrophy
- symptoms — GI and extraintestinal manifestations
- diagnosis — blood tests, endoscopy, Marsh classification
- management — GFD, monitoring, complications
- terminology — classification subtypes
- epidemiology — prevalence and demographics
- history — discovery timeline
- research — emerging treatments
Source
Wikipedia article "Celiac disease" — raw/Celiac_disease.pdf