Celiac Disease and Lupus on the Rise

There is an epidemic here and in many other areas of the state with different auto immune diseases in the North West Valley that has evolved here in the last 10 years. I am talking about Celiac disease and Lupus on the up rise here. Now you say that is no big deal. But every time you turn around in the doctor’s office you are seeing more and more patient being diagnose with one or more of these ailments.

Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins and lip balms.
When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villilining the small intestine. Villi normally allows nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food one eats.

Symptoms of celiac disease vary from person to person. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system or in other parts of the body. Digestive symptoms are more common in infants and young children and may include: abdominal bloating and pain, chronic diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stooland weight loss. Irritability is another common symptom in children. Mal absorption of nutrients during the years when nutrition is critical to a child’s normal growth and development can result in other problems such as failure to thrive in infants, delayed growth and short stature, delayed puberty, and dental enamel defects of the permanent teeth. Adults are less likely to have digestive symptoms and may instead have one or more of the following: explained iron-deficiency anemia, fatigue, bone or joint pain, arthritis, bone loss or osteoporosis, depression or anxiety tingling numbness in the hands and feet, missed menstrual periods, infertility or recurrent miscarriage, canker sores inside the mouth an itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis.

People with celiac disease may have no symptoms but can still develop complications of the disease over time. Long-term complications include malnutrition—which can lead to anemia, osteoporosis, and miscarriage, among other problems—liver diseases, and cancers of the intestine.

Now lets talk about lupus. It has spring up everywhere today. It’s very tough because it is the disease that varies so much from mild to very severe. Lets take a closer look at Lupus.
Lupus, an autoimmune disease, happens when the immune system attacks its tissues, causing inflammation, swelling, pain, and damage. Lupus symptoms vary, and early lupus symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, fever, and a lupus rash, especially after being in the sun. Familiarize yourself with pictures of the lupus rash. Doctors diagnose lupus by symptoms and blood tests. Lupus is not contagious but has a hereditary component, so family health information is important.
Beware of these and get yourself check out:
Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE), symptoms are: you may be extremely tired, have skin rashes, or have joint pain. If the disease is more serious, you may have problems with your kidneys, heart, lungs, blood, or nervous system.

Lupus symptoms depend on what body organs are affected and how seriously they are affected.

• Fatigue: Nearly all people with lupus have mild to extreme fatigue. Even mild cases of lupus can cause an inability to engage in daily activities and exercise. Increased fatigue is a classic sign that a symptom flare is about to occur.
• Joint and muscle pain: Most people with lupus have joint pain (arthritis) at some time. About 70% of people with lupus report that joint and muscle pain was their first sign of the disease. Joints may be red and warm, and may swell. Morning stiffness may also be felt. Lupus arthritis often occurs on both sides of the body at the same time, particularly in the wrists, small joints of the hands, elbows, knees, and ankles.
• Skin problems: Most people with lupus develop skin rashes. These rashes are often an important clue to the diagnosis. In addition to the butterfly rashover the cheeks and bridge of the nose, other common skin symptoms include skin sores or flaky red spots on the arms, hands, face, neck, or back; mouth or lip sores; and a scaly, red or purple raised rash on the face, neck, scalp, ears, arms, and chest.
• Sensitivity to light: Exposure to ultravioletlight (such as sunlight or tanning parlors) typically worsens the skin rash and can trigger lupus flares. Sensitivity to light affects many of those with lupus, with fair-skinned people with lupus tending to be more sensitive.
• Nervous system symptoms: The majority of people with lupus develop nervous system problems, most commonly headaches, depression, or anxiety. Memory loss is less common.
• Heart problems: People with lupus may develop inflammation of the heart sac (pericarditis), which may cause severe, sudden pain in the center of the left side of the chest that may spread to the neck, back, shoulders, or arms.
• Mental health problems: People with lupus may develop problems such as anxiety and depression. Such problems can be caused by lupus, the medications used to treat it, or the stress of coping with chronic illness.
• Fever: Most people with lupus will sometimes have a low-grade fever related to the disease. Fever is sometimes a first sign of the disease.
• Changes in weight: Many people with lupus lose weight when their disease is active (flaring).
• Hair loss: People with lupus may experience periods of hair loss, either in patches or spread evenly over the head. This hair loss is usually not permanent.
• Swollen glands: Many people with lupus eventually develop swollen lymph glandsduring a flare.
• Reynaud’s phenomenon: Some people with lupus have this condition. It affects the small vessels that supply blood to the skin and the soft tissues under the skin of the fingers and toes, causing them to turn white and/or blue or red. The skin affected will feel numb, tingly, and cold to the touch.
• Inflammation of blood vessels in the skin (cutaneous vasculitis): Inflammation or bleeding from the blood vessels can lead to small or large blue spots or small reddish spots on the skin or nail beds.
• Swelling of the hands and feet: Some people with lupus have kidney problems, which can prevent extra fluids from being removed from the body tissues. As fluid collects, the hands and feet may swell.
• Anemia: Anemiais a decrease in the amount of the oxygen-carrying substance (hemoglobin) found in red blood cells. Many people with an ongoing disease such as lupus develop anemia because they don't have enough red blood cells.

Now the symptoms could be relate to different diseases. So please see your doctor and ask questions.
The medical information that was provided was from www.mdweb.com. You can get more information from the Arizona for Celiac Disease Foundation and Lupus Foundation here in the Northwest Valley.

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www.411surpriseaz.com wishes to thank Cesily for taking time to write this informational article for our readers. Please consider Veggies Become U for your next vegan event!