Celiac disease not a mocking matter

RE: Silliness about bitcoin, gluten and identity (Dec. 30)

I would like to respond to Paul Benedetti’s insensitive comments about gluten and celiac disease.

I am one of over 35,000 Canadians diagnosed with celiac disease. It is actually an auto-immune disorder whereby the intestinal lining is destroyed by gluten, a substance found in wheat, rye and barley. The body turns on itself and the resulting damage hinders the absorption of the nutrients required to remain healthy.

Peer-reviewed scientific research has shown that roughly 1 per cent of the population has celiac disease — so over 300,000 Canadians — but over 90 per cent remain undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed. This is because the symptoms are so varying, and can include gastrointestinal issues, anemia, migraines, neurological issues, chronic fatigue, extremely itchy rashes, and more.

Untreated celiac disease can lead to malnutrition, osteoporosis, and some particularly lethal cancers of the gut. Sad to say, gluten does kill people. Many of us can look back in our family histories and recognize those who died from complications of celiac disease before it was discovered after the Second World War that treatment with a gluten-free diet could restore health.

Would Mr. Benedetti mock people with lupus? With type 1 diabetes? With thyroid disease? If not, he should extend the same courtesy to those with celiac disease. Anne Wraggett, president, Canadian Celiac Association