Post by kickingfrog on Mar 15, 2013 12:13:07 GMT
What causes CD?
By Jane Anderson,
About.com Guide
Updated October 06, 2012
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board
It's not entirely clear what causes celiac disease. In fact, most researchers believe multiple factors are involved, all of which may be necessary for the condition to develop.
Your genes play a strong role — if you don't have one of the two specific genes that have been linked to celiac disease, your odds of developing the condition are very low (although not zero). However, a large minority of the population (some 40%) actually carries one or both of those genes, so genetics isn't the only factor in play here.
To develop celiac disease, you must be eating gluten. When you have celiac disease, gluten spurs your immune system to damage your small intestine. Still, gluten is extremely common in Western-style diets (most people eat gluten — and frequently lots of it — several times each day), and still only about 1% of people develop celiac disease.
Finally, for you to develop celiac disease, factors in your environment must help to cause it. It's these "factors" that aren't clear; some people can consume gluten every day for decades without a problem and then develop severe celiac disease symptoms very suddenly, while some young children exhibit celiac symptoms as soon as gluten-containing grains are introduced into their diets.
"Trigger" May Help to Cause Celiac Disease
Some researchers have hypothesized that celiac disease requires a "trigger," which may possibly take the form of a health issue or even major emotional stress; for example, many women begin to experience celiac symptoms following pregnancy and birth, and other people find their symptoms begin following a seemingly unrelated illness. However, this "trigger" theory remains unproven....
...Alessio Fasano, MD, director of both the University of Maryland's Mucosal Biology Research Center and Center for Celiac Research, says research into possible environmental triggers for celiac disease is very important — identifying causes of celiac disease may help to create celiac disease treatments or even to prevent the condition entirely....
celiacdisease.about.com/od/whatisceliacdisease/a/What-Causes-Celiac-Disease.htm
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By Jane Anderson,
About.com Guide
Updated October 06, 2012
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board
It's not entirely clear what causes celiac disease. In fact, most researchers believe multiple factors are involved, all of which may be necessary for the condition to develop.
Your genes play a strong role — if you don't have one of the two specific genes that have been linked to celiac disease, your odds of developing the condition are very low (although not zero). However, a large minority of the population (some 40%) actually carries one or both of those genes, so genetics isn't the only factor in play here.
To develop celiac disease, you must be eating gluten. When you have celiac disease, gluten spurs your immune system to damage your small intestine. Still, gluten is extremely common in Western-style diets (most people eat gluten — and frequently lots of it — several times each day), and still only about 1% of people develop celiac disease.
Finally, for you to develop celiac disease, factors in your environment must help to cause it. It's these "factors" that aren't clear; some people can consume gluten every day for decades without a problem and then develop severe celiac disease symptoms very suddenly, while some young children exhibit celiac symptoms as soon as gluten-containing grains are introduced into their diets.
"Trigger" May Help to Cause Celiac Disease
Some researchers have hypothesized that celiac disease requires a "trigger," which may possibly take the form of a health issue or even major emotional stress; for example, many women begin to experience celiac symptoms following pregnancy and birth, and other people find their symptoms begin following a seemingly unrelated illness. However, this "trigger" theory remains unproven....
...Alessio Fasano, MD, director of both the University of Maryland's Mucosal Biology Research Center and Center for Celiac Research, says research into possible environmental triggers for celiac disease is very important — identifying causes of celiac disease may help to create celiac disease treatments or even to prevent the condition entirely....
celiacdisease.about.com/od/whatisceliacdisease/a/What-Causes-Celiac-Disease.htm
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