Celiac Disease North Carolina

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If you suffer from celiac disease in North Carolina, contact a doctor through Carolina Digestive Health Associates today. Many people have heard of the gluten-free diet, but for a certain subset of the population, avoiding gluten is a necessity. Millions of Americans, including North Carolina residents, suffer from celiac disease. This condition affects the immune system due to intolerance to gluten. If left untreated, celiac disease can lead to significant complications.

What Is Celiac Disease?

Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye, and barley. This substance gives dough it’s elastic, stretchy quality and gives cooked bread, pasta, and other carbohydrates a chewy texture. When a person in North Carolina with celiac disease consumes gluten, his or her body cannot correctly process the protein, and overreacts.

As a result, the consumption of gluten causes damage to the villi, which are small tendrils along the walls of the small intestine. When gluten damages the villi, the person’s intestines cannot safely absorb food nutrients. This can lead to significant complications, including malnourishment, infertility, and certain cancers.

Causes of Celiac Disease

Doctors in North Carolina do not know the exact cause of celiac disease. However, experts believe that genes, eating certain foods, and environmental factors can all contribute to the onset of the condition. Certain risk factors increase the presence of celiac disease, such as:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Down syndrome
• Type 1 diabetes
• A family history of celiac disease
• Addison’s disease
• Autoimmune thyroid disease

Common Symptoms of Celiac Disease

The important thing to remember about celiac disease is that it is not a food allergy. Allergic symptoms to grains differ from celiac disease symptoms. Celiac disease symptoms vary in severity; in fact, some people in North Carolina do not experience any signs of the disease.

The most common symptoms include:

• Unintentional weight loss
• Stomach pain
• Loss of bone density
• Heartburn and acid reflux
• Anemia
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Mouth ulcers
• Rashes that are blistery and itchy
• Pain the joints and bones
• Neurological damage, such as balance issues and numbness in the feet and hands

How Do Doctors Treat Celiac Disease?

One of the only ways to manage celiac disease is to stick to a strict gluten-free diet. North Carolina residents with celiac disease should avoid all foods that contain gluten, such as:

• Wheat
• Semolina
• Barley
• Graham flour
• Malt
• Rye
• Triticale
• Farina
• Bulgur
• Durum

Carbohydrate cravings can lead to many people straying from their gluten-free diet. Pasta, bread, and other forms of gluten are staples of many diets and can be difficult to abruptly stop eating. Instead of consuming gluten, North Carolina celiac disease patients should choose gluten-free options for bread and other carbs and focus on supplementing their diet with lots of protein, fruits, and vegetables. Connecting with a North Carolina dietician can help patients develop a healthy gluten-free diet plan.

Potential Celiac Disease Complications

When you leave celiac disease untreated, it is dangerous and can lead to unpleasant and potentially life-threatening complications. North Carolina residents with celiac disease should seek treatment immediately.

Complications can include:

• Cancer. Consuming gluten if you have celiac disease can increase the risk of developing certain cancers, such as intestinal lymphoma.

• Malnutrition: Continued consumption of gluten limits the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. As a result, people with celiac disease may unintentionally lose weight and develop anemia.

• Neurological complications: Celiac disease patients can develop certain neurological conditions, such as damage to the nerves in the hands and feet, or seizures.

• Infertility and miscarriage: The inability to absorb calcium or vitamin D through appropriate pathways can lead to issues with reproduction.

• Loss of bone density: Similarity to reproductive issues, failure to absorb calcium and vitamin D can lead to bone softening and loss of bone density, also known as osteoporosis.

• Lactose intolerance: Damage to the small intestine can lead to intolerance of dairy products, which can further limit the foods that people with celiac disease can consume. However, once the small intestine heals through treatment, many North Carolina patients can tolerate lactose again.

Contact Carolina Digestive Health Associates Today

Are you suffering from celiac disease in North Carolina? Seeking professional help is the first step to wellness. Contact Carolina Digestive Health at (704) 324-8776 today to connect with a doctor near you.

Carolina Digestive Health Associates

Carolina Digestive Health Associates is a group of gastroenterologists serving the residents of North Carolina. We have fourteen highly rated GI doctors who provide service at eight offices and five endoscopy centers. Our doctors work in all major hospitals in the Charlotte metropolitan area.

Our physicians, together with our highly trained physician assistants and nurse practitioners, cover a wide range of specialties and are skilled in diagnosis and treatment. Whether you have chronic problems with your digestive tract, a recent, acute attack or simply want a checkup, our team is here in North Carolina to help you reach your healthcare goals.

What We Do

Our team of gastroenterologists in North Carolina is trained to diagnose gastric conditions involving the esophagus, the stomach, the liver, the colon and the rectum. Once we make a diagnosis, we can form a treatment plan tailored to the specific patient and their needs. Some of the common conditions we treat include:

• Constipation
• Bloating and gas
• Celiac disease
• Cirrhosis of the liver
• Colorectal cancer
• Diarrhea
• Esophageal cancer
• Fatty liver
• Gallstone
• Gastritis
• GERD
• Hemorrhoids
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Lactose intolerance
• Obesity
• Ulcers

Our team has experience diagnosing and treating these conditions and many more. North Carolina residents in the Charlotte area have come to trust our expertise and our friendly customer service.

Procedures

Our specialists cover a wide variety of fields within gastroenterology and can perform an array of procedures once they have made a diagnosis. Some of the more common procedures are:

• Rectal manometry. This test determines if the rectum is functioning properly and helps to diagnose fecal incontinence and chronic constipation.
• Breath test. A GI doctor can diagnose certain digestive conditions by measuring the gases which a patient exhales.
• Colonoscopy. By means of a camera inserted into the body, doctors can view the intestine and look for polyps, ulcers, bleeding, inflammation and even cancer.
• Polypectomy. If doctors discover polyps during an endoscopy, they will use this procedure to remove them.
• Upper endoscopy. Similar to a colonoscopy, this procedure views the esophagus, stomach and upper duodenum for inflammation, ulcers and abnormal growths.
• Esophageal manometry. This test is to determine the strength of the muscles that you use to swallow, which can affect conditions like heartburn.
• Feeding tubes. A GI doctor can insert a feeding tube when necessary if a patient is not able to feed him or herself.
• ORBERA Gastric Balloon. The FDA has approved our non-surgical program to help patients lose weight and form healthy habits to maintain a stable, healthy weight in the long term.

Research

At Carolina Digestive Health Associates in North Carolina, we participate in many clinical research trials. Medicine is a field that constantly advances, and we encourage and participate in this process to discover new and better ways to diagnose and treat digestive disorders. Sometimes, these trials provide treatment options to our patients in North Carolina that they would not be able to get anywhere else.

When Should You Come to See Us?

Persistent or severe symptoms are reasons to schedule a consultation with us in North Carolina. We also recommend regular screenings starting at age 45 for colon cancer. You may need to see a general practitioner first to get a referral. Come see us if you experience any of the following:

• Constipation. Fewer than three bowel movements a week means constipation. If it persists, contact us.
• Diarrhea. Diarrhea is a common problem, but if it doesn't go away it could be a sign of something more serious.
• Heartburn. A burning your stomach and chest could be your stomach acid inflaming the lining of your esophagus.
• Stomach pain. Severe stomach pain could mean you have a gallstone. More persistent, burning pain could be an ulcer.
• Bloating. If you bloat after a meal, your body might be reacting to something you ate. A gastroenterologist can diagnose the cause.
• Hemorrhoids. If the veins in your rectum are swollen or feel irritated, you may have hemorrhoids, which a GI doctor can treat.
• Blood in your stool. If your stool is black and tarry, or if there is red in the water after a bowel movement, you may have a severe problem that requires immediate attention.

For any of the above symptoms or a cancer screening in North Carolina, contact Carolina Digestive Health Associates for a consultation. Call us at (704) 324-8776 and let one of our highly skilled gastroenterologists assist you.