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Child Wellness: Keeping an eye out for Celiac disease
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Celiac disease affects approximately one out of 115 people, but unfortunately, many are undiagnosed because the symptoms mask many other diseases.
Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and abdominal pain. There are other non-digestive symptoms, making the disease even harder to diagnose. The only sure way to diagnose Celiac disease is a simple blood test.
Symptoms are set off by foods which include gluten, a type of protein found in grains.
"It's something in wheat, barley, rye,” gastroenterologist Dr. Arthur Ostrov said. “It sets off an inappropriate reaction in your body. It attacks you instead of the wheat, barley and rye."
Symptoms in children can be a bit hard to pin-point.
“Failure to grow, maybe a failure to gain weight, maybe indigestion, reflux," Dr. Ostrov said.
Learn more about Celiac disease by clicking the video above.