Celiac Disease: Part 2

Kayla's Story Continued

Kayla's parents brought her to her pediatrician after a rough first week of school. She presented with the following signs and symptoms: abdominal pain, diarrhea, occasional vomiting, trouble sleeping, fatigue, and irritability. 

Honestly, who wouldn't be irritable after all that? 

Kayla's pediatrician assessed her current diet. She brought to Kayla's attention the potential of gluten sensitivity to her. She explained that gluten is a protein found in a multitude of foods like bread, pasta, sauces, certain cereals, and grains. She also outlined to her that for some people, gluten cannot be properly digested. If people eat gluten and they are allergic to it, the body produces antibodies to fight what they think is a bad substance coming in. The natural reaction of the body causes inflammation in the villi, which are tiny structures that line our small intestine that aid in transporting special amino acids and nutrients into the bloodstream. When the villi is inflamed, food cannot be properly digested causing signs and symptoms like Kayla was experiencing. Kayla's doctor explained to her that being allergic to gluten is very common and is something called Celiac Disease. 

Her parents were very concerned. They wanted to know how the diagnosis of Celiac is conducted and how soon they could get to work on reworking her diet to make sure that she would not experience this pain and discomfort anymore. Her pediatrician ordered a serum screening (blood test), to be done at her local clinic. She explained to Kayla and her parents that a Celiac screening requires a blood test that will look at a lot of aspects of her blood but mostly will aim to detect Celiac Disease antibodies. 

Upon hearing this, Kayla who has a fear of needles did not want to have the screening performed. She was adamant that she can deal with the stomach pain as long as she didn't have to get a shot. Her pediatrician and her parents assured her that the blood test would be quick and it would not hurt her. Her parents even volunteered to be screened with her to put her at ease. With this, Kayla complied with the blood test and the physician completed the orders so that they could do it at their earliest convenience.