Celiac disease, also called celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is a condition that causes an extreme reaction to the ingestion of gluten. When someone with celiac disease consumes gluten, the immune system overreacts and damages the small intestine.
This condition is often diagnosed in infancy and childhood, but may not be evident until later in life. The most common symptom of celiac disease in children is irritability. Other common symptoms include abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Before eating foods containing gluten, an infant with celiac disease may have normal growth and digestion. Infants with celiac disease may experience diarrhea, projectile vomiting, poor weight gain, distended abdomen, decreased growth rate, and irritability after they begin to consume foods containing gluten.
Children with celiac disease may have poor appetite and poor growth. The symptoms of celiac disease may temporarily subside during adolescence and become problematic again in early adulthood.
The only known treatment for celiac disease is to follow gluten-free diet. If a child is diagnosed with celiac disease, it is often beneficial for the entire family to follow gluten-free diet. This prevents the child from being exposed to foods containing gluten in the home and may reduce stress on the parents caused by needing to watch the child’s intake of food at all times.
Parents of a child with celiac disease may worry about the child attending school. Children with celiac disease are exposed to food containing gluten in the school cafeteria and possibly snacks or student birthday celebrations.
The parents should discuss the child’s need for a gluten-free diet and the diagnosis of celiac disease with the school nurse, dietitian, and the child’s teacher. Some parents often find it helpful to discuss the child’s needs with the principal. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), schools must provide children with celiac disease gluten-free food.
The child will need to follow a gluten-free diet for their entire lives. Gluten is present in foods containing wheat, rye, and barley. Some foods that are not associated with wheat, barley, or rye may contain gluten such as lunchmeat and frozen potatoes.
Parents will need to educate their child about following a gluten-free diet. Parents can gradually give children more responsibility for following a gluten-free diet and teach them how to read food labels and identify which foods contain gluten.
