Coeliac path

Coeliac disease (pron-en?si?li.�k; spelled celiac disease in North America) is an autoimmune (Autoimmunity) disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed (Genetic predisposition) people of all ages from middle infancy onward. Symptoms include chronic diarrhoea (diarrhea), failure to thrive (in children), and fatigue (fatigue (physical)), but these may be absent, and symptoms in other organ systems (Organ (anatomy)) have been described. A growing portion of diagnoses are being made in asymptomatic persons as a result of increased screening (Screening (medicine)). Coeliac disease is caused by a reaction to gliadin, a prolamin (gluten protein) found in wheat, and similar proteins found in the crops of the tribe (tribe (biology)) Triticeae (which includes other cultivars such as barley and rye). Upon exposure to gliadin, and certain other prolamins, the enzyme tissue transglutaminase modifies the protein, and the immune system cross-reacts with the small-bowel tissue, causing an inflammatory reaction (inflammation). That leads to a truncating of the villi lining the small intestine (called villous atrophy). This interferes with the absorption (malabsorption) of nutrients, because the intestinal villi (intestinal villus) are responsible for absorption. The only known effective treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet. While the disease is caused by a reaction to wheat proteins, it is not the same as wheat allergy.

This condition has several other names, including: c?liac disease (with ? ligature (?)), c(o)eliac sprue, non-tropical sprue, endemic sprue, gluten enteropathy or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, and gluten intolerance. The term coeliac derives from the Greek (Greek language) ????????? (koiliak?s, "abdominal"), and was introduced in the 19th century in a translation of what is generally regarded as an ancient Greek description of the disease by Aretaeus of Cappadocia.