One day, suddenly, you eat a food (that you have already eaten on other occasions) but this time your body does not tolerate it or digest it in the same way, causing you some discomfort and stomach pain.
Although these pathologies may seem similar due to their relationship with gluten, in reality, they have nothing to do with each other, and it is important to know the main differences between celiac disease, gluten intolerance and gluten allergy , because neither the diagnosis, nor the symptoms nor the long-term complications are comparable in these pathologies.
What are Celiac Disease, Allergy and Gluten Intolerance?
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease. Our immune system reacts to the presence of gluten. It is always triggered at the digestive level, that is, when we eat food.
Over time, it causes damage to the intestinal villi that leads to poor absorption of nutrients, causing other associated ailments, such as dermatitis herpetiformis (a chronic, itchy rash), type I diabetes, and lactose intolerance.
Wheat allergy is also a disease of the immune system . It manifests itself immediately after contact with one of the wheat compounds, such as gluten.
Unlike celiac disease, whose symptoms are triggered only by eating something containing gluten, the allergy is also activated by skin contact or inhalation (causing what is commonly known as baker's asthma) and remits when contact with the allergen ceases.
In non-celiac gluten sensitivity or intolerance, the person has clinical symptoms, especially at the digestive level, that appear to be celiac disease, but clinical tests do not corroborate alterations at the immunological level.
What is my diagnosis? Pay attention to the symptoms
You are born with an allergy . It is triggered by the first contact with any of the components of wheat, including gluten, but also albumins, globulins and other wheat proteins in addition to gluten.
In celiac disease , however, there is a non-hereditary genetic predisposition. This means that our genes contain a chance of developing it, but it may never manifest itself.
The first step to knowing if you have one or another ailment is to look at the symptoms and go to a digestive specialist for a diagnosis.
Symptoms
Celiac disease
Celiac disease can take a while to manifest itself. It can even have symptoms so mild that they are barely noticeable (this is called asymptomatic celiac disease). But poor absorption of nutrients has medium and long-term consequences.
Symptoms of celiac disease in children include diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, malnutrition, and abdominal distension. Atopic dermatitis on the skin, muscle weakness, atopy, and anemia are also common.
In adolescents, these symptoms persist, along with menstrual disorders and headaches.
Symptoms of celiac disease in adults include irritable bowel syndrome, early menopause, osteoporosis… The origin of all these symptoms is that gluten alters the intestinal villi. This damage interferes with the absorption of nutrients. This is why, in the long term, various problems arise throughout the body.
Wheat allergy
Wheat allergy has clear and rapid symptoms . They will vary depending on the contact with the allergen, that is, with wheat. There may be hives if it is due to contact with the skin or rhinitis if the flour dust is inhaled. The most dangerous case is ingestion of the flour, since the consequences range from hives to vomiting, diarrhea and even anaphylaxis.
Gluten sensitivity or intolerance
This is the term currently associated with gluten intolerance and is characterized by digestive and extra-digestive symptoms related to the consumption of gluten/wheat, which disappear when it is removed from the diet and reappear if it is reintroduced.
The prevalence is not known exactly because there are no objective diagnostic methods, but it is estimated that around 6% of the population suffers from gluten sensitivity. It appears more frequently in women than in men, and is rare in children.
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