Could Your Child Have Celiac Disease? By Carolyn Leigh Kellerman oes your child suffer from fatigue or loss of energy, have severe abdominal cramping, migraines or chronic diarrhea or constipation? If so, they could be suffering from Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease, also known as Gluten Sensitive Enteropathy is still a mystery. One out of 133 people in the United States are affected by Celiac Disease. Many people live with it and do not even realize they have it. Celiac is not a food allergy. It’s an autoimmune disease. Some food allergies, such as wheat allergy, go away as you age. This is not the case with Celiac Disease. Just ask Brett and Lauren Ravitz of Voorhees. Their daughter Hailey was diagnosed in February 2010 with Celiac Disease. She was only 2-years-old. Hailey was always a happy and outgoing child but her energy level slowly began to diminish when she started vomiting a few times a day, usually before and after dinner. Her happy demeanor disappeared also. Doctors believed she was having a difficult time recovering from a stomach virus. “I thought it was a bad combination of just having a new baby sister and moving into our new house,” states Lauren. By April, Hailey was vomiting every other day and sometimes in the middle of the night. “She would cry, we would run in and carry her to the bathroom where she would vomit in the bathtub; we would clean her up, change the sheets and put her back in her crib. Overnight laundry loads were common so we could be ready for the next night. Midnight baths were needed when we couldn’t get there in time and she threw up in her crib,” explains Lauren. Hailey was losing weight rapidly. The Ravitz’s took Hailey to a gastroenterologist. They ran several tests, one of which was an endoscopy, where forceps are passed through a tube to take a sample of tissue from the lining of the intestines. The endoscopy confirmed Hailey had Celiac Disease. By this time, Hailey had lost 20 percent of her body weight. The Ravitz’s put Hailey on a gluten free diet and saw positive changes almost immediately. “Our happy daughter was coming back!” say the Ravitz’s. They felt relief knowing this wasn’t a life threatening disease, as long as they D www.southjerseymom.com Hailey, age 3, of Voorhees stuck to the new diet. Hailey is now 3 and doing very well. She learned to substitute foods such as birthday cake for gluten free cake and regular pizza for gluten free. But it isn’t always easy. Hailey’s parents will always have to pack her gluten-free food and take it with them wherever they go. The Ravitz’s want other parents with children who have Celiac Disease to know that with some work, they can live a normal life. The most important thing is to be prepared. The Ravitz’s own Shoprite in Cherry Hill, Marlton and Mt. Laurel. They have now dedicated an entire section to gluten-free foods to help others who suffer from Celiac Disease. Celiac disease can appear at any time in a person’s life. In adults, the disease can be triggered for the first time after surgery, viral infection, severe emotional stress, pregnancy or childbirth. Celiac disease is a multi-system, multi-symptom disorder. Symptoms vary and are not always gastrointestinal (GI). GI symptoms can often mimic other bowel disorders so a proper diagnosis can be difficult to obtain. See your doctor if you or your child has any of the classic symptoms (see sidebar).✲ CLASSIC SYMPTOMS • Abdominal cramping, intestinal gas • Distention and bloating of the stomach • Chronic diarrhea or constipation (or both) • Steatorrhea – fatty stools • Anemia – unexplained, due to folic acid, B12 or iron deficiency (or all) • Unexplained weight loss with large appetite or weight gain OTHER SYMPTOMS • Dental enamel defects • Osteopenia, osteoporosis • Bone or joint pain • Fatigue, weakness and lack of energy • Infertility – male/female • Depression • Mouth ulcers • Delayed puberty • Tingling or numbness in hands or feet • Migraine headaches November 2011 | 23