May is Celiac awareness month, and Dr. Christopher Schneider who is a Gastroenterologist for Southeastern Manitoba says 1% of the population has Celiac Disease, but many don't know it.

Dr. Schneider says the real presence is likely higher than 1%. “I think it's being recognized more now. In the past, it was just misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome or indigestion that lingered, or would come and go, and people wouldn't look for intervention.”

Dr. Schneider says because it's being recognized more, people are talking about it more, and learning more about it, and that's why it's becoming a bigger part of family medicine practice as well as gastroenterology.

Dr. Schneider says, Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease, not an allergy. “Antibodies react to gluten as a foreign body, something that is treated the same as a pathogenic bacteria. There's ongoing inflammation because the person is eating gluten every day, so there's going to be inflammation in the small bowel and ultimately, damage that can cause irreversible fibrous deposits in which a person loses their ability to absorb micronutrients and other nutritious substances.”

“Celiac Disease is something that should be taken seriously, and I think people who have Celiac Disease have to keep in mind that there are serious complications if they don't maintain a gluten-free diet.”

Dr. Schneider adds, there is an increase of cancer in the small bowel, an increase in lymphoma, and a potential for malabsorption syndrome where the small bowel is not able to absorb nutrients. People then tend to lose weight, become malnourished and form irreversible Celiac Disease changes.

The most common symptoms of Celiac Disease according to Dr. Schneider, are abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, and a few subtle symptoms that people don't recognize right away. “One of the most common is an itchy rash, and they mostly occur on people's elbows and knees. It's called dermatitis herpetiformis.” 

Eric and Carol Enns from Kleefeld are learning how to cook for their daughter Trinity, who was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease after suffering from terrible stomach aches for a few years.

Trinity's Mom Carol Enns, says the Doctor's tested Trinity for everything. When there was nothing left to test for, they thought about a gluten intolerance test. “Progressively her stomach aches got worse, and about once a week she would be awake all night with a stomach ache so bad she couldn't talk, it was absolutely terrible.”

Enns says Trinity was sent for a blood test, and when that came back positive for the antibodies to gluten, they were sent for a biopsy to confirm a Celiac diagnosis. “She has a good attitude about it, it's just sad that some of her favourite foods have to be different.”

“The biggest change for us would be grocery shopping, and being careful of cross-contamination. We are also going to have to read the labels on everything. Her older sister is getting involved and helping her as well.”

Enns says, thankfully two of Trinity's favourite foods are rice and popcorn, and both of those are gluten free. “There is a lot of gluten free food out there, and I think you can live totally happy with Celiac Disease.”