What part of the digestive system does celiac disease affect

Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide, but only about 30% are properly diagnosed.

Table of Contents Show

Long-Term Health Effects
Long-Term Health Conditions
Other Autoimmune Disorders
What system does celiac disease affect?
Which process in the digestive system is most affected by celiac disease?
How does celiac disease damage the digestive system?
Does celiac disease only affect the large intestine?

When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body.

Celiac disease is hereditary, meaning that it runs in families. People with a first-degree relative with celiac disease (parent, child, sibling) have a 1 in 10 risk of developing celiac disease.

Celiac disease can develop at any age after people start consuming gluten. Left untreated, celiac disease can lead to additional serious health problems.

Are You at Risk for Celiac Disease? - Take the Quiz

Long-Term Health Effects

People with celiac disease have a 2x greater risk of developing coronary artery disease, and a 4x greater risk of developing small bowel cancers.

The treatment burden of celiac disease is comparable to end-stage renal disease, and the partner burden is comparable to caring for a patient with cancer.

Untreated celiac disease can lead to the development of other autoimmune disorders like type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS), and many other conditions, including dermatitis herpetiformis (an itchy skin rash), anemia, osteoporosis, infertility and miscarriage, neurological conditions like epilepsy and migraines, short stature, heart disease, and intestinal cancers.

Treatment

Currently, the only treatment for celiac disease is lifelong adherence to a strict gluten-free diet. People living gluten-free must avoid foods with wheat, rye, and barley, such as bread and beer.

Ingesting small amounts of gluten, like crumbs from a cutting board or toaster, can trigger small intestine damage.

Read about the Gluten-Free Diet.

Celiac disease is also known as coeliac disease, celiac sprue, non-tropical sprue, and gluten sensitive enteropathy.

A table illustrating how age of diagnosis influences the chances of developing another autoimmune condition

Early Diagnosis Lowers Chance of Developing Another Condition
Age of Diagnosis	Chance of Developing Another Autoimmune Condition
2-4	10.5%
4-12	16.7%
12-20	27%
Over 20	34%

Long-Term Health Conditions

Early onset osteoporosis or osteopenia
Gall bladder malfunction
Heart disease
Infertility and miscarriage
Iron deficiency anemia
Lactose intolerance
Liver failure
Malnutrition
Neurological symptoms, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), headaches, lack of muscle coordination, seizures, ataxia, dementia, neuropathy, myopathy, and multifocal leucoencephalopathy
Pancreatic insufficiency
Small intestine cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies

Other Autoimmune Disorders

In a 1999 study, Ventura, et al. found that for people with celiac disease, the later the age of diagnosis, the greater the chance of developing another autoimmune disorder.

Autoimmune and Other Conditions Associated with Celiac Disease
Autoimmune Condition	Prevalence in CD Population
Anemia	12-69%
Autoimmune Hepatitis	2%
Autoimmune Thyroid Disease	26%
Chronic fatigue syndrome	2%
Dermatitis Herpetiformis	25%
Down syndrome	12%
Gluten ataxia	10-12%
Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyapathy	5.7%
Juveline Idiopathic Arthritis	1.5-6.6%
Liver Disease	10%
Lymphocytic Colitis	15-27%
Microscopic Colitis	4%
Peripheral Neuropathy	10-12%
Primary Bilary Cirrhosis	3%
Sjögren’s Syndrome	3%
Type 1 Diabetes	8-10%
Unexplained infertility	12%

Blood. 2007 Jan 15; 109(2): 412–421, Biomed Res Int. 2013; 2013: 127589, Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2010;4(6):767-780, PMC 2009; 55:349–365, Gut 49.4 (2001): 502-505, Ravelli, Lancet; 2007, 369(9563):767-78, Bai, et al. “World Gastroenterology Organization Practice Guidelines:.” World Gastroenterology Organization.

Footnotes

What system does celiac disease affect?

Celiac disease is a digestive problem that hurts your small intestine. It stops your body from taking in nutrients from food. You may have celiac disease if you are sensitive to gluten. If you have celiac disease and eat foods with gluten, your immune system starts to hurt your small intestine.

Which process in the digestive system is most affected by celiac disease?

It affects the small intestine – the part of the digestive system responsible for absorbing nutrients. If you have coeliac disease, eating gluten – a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats – causes damage to the lining of your small intestine. It also causes inflammation in other parts of your body.

How does celiac disease damage the digestive system?

In coeliac disease, the immune system mistakes substances found inside gluten as a threat to the body and attacks them. This damages the surface of the small bowel (intestines), disrupting the body's ability to take in nutrients from food.

Does celiac disease only affect the large intestine?

Celiac disease can also affect the body outside the small intestine. Celiac disease is different from gluten sensitivity link or wheat intolerance. If you have gluten sensitivity, you may have symptoms like those of celiac disease, such as abdominal pain and tiredness.