Celiac disease is defined as a chronic small intestinal immune-mediated enteropathy precipitated by exposure to dietary gluten in genetically predisposed individuals.1
This one sentence nicely captures the features of celiac disease—but what exactly does it mean?
In this section, we explore the biology of celiac disease. We will cover many questions that might come up while learning about celiac disease, including:
- How does the immune system work?
- What is autoimmune disease?
- What is gluten?
- How is the immune system involved in celiac disease?
- What does it mean to be genetically predisposed?
- What is tissue transglutaminase (tTG)?
- How are antibodies involved in celiac disease?
- What happens to the small intestine in celiac disease?
Medical researchers are always running new studies to better understand celiac disease. Please check back frequently for updates!
References
- Ludvigsson JF, Leffler DA, Bai JC, et al. The Oslo definitions for coeliac disease and related terms. Gut. 2013;62(1):43-52.
Share this Post