One in 100 north Indians suffers from celiac disease
NEW DELHI: Little did a student of Delhi University know that the cause of her stunted growth and delayed puberty would turn out to be her love for food containing gluten.
Despite having passed the stage of adolescence, her body showed no changes, causing her worried parents to take her to AIIMS, where she was diagnosed with celiac disease – a serious autoimmune disorder caused due to the body’s inability to digest gluten, a protein present in cereals like wheat, barley and some other cereals.
“We have seen over 1,100 adult patients and a little over 800 children, making it almost 2,000 patients,” said Dr Govind Makharia, professor of Department of Gastroenterology and Human Nutrition at AIIMS.
He added that a weekly clinic at the hospital witnesses over 70-80 new patients each month, who cannot digest gluten and thus face numerous other issues caused by the disease.
A study by AIIMS reveals that one in 100 people in north India suffers from celiac disease, which damages the lining of the small intestine when foods with gluten such as wheat, rye, and barley are consumed.
“The damaged small intestine does not absorb the food and thus, the patient fails to grow in height or gain weight and develop chronic diarrhea, anemia (lack of blood), and weakness of bones,” said Dr Makharia.
He added that celiac disease leads to mood swings, irritation, stunted growth, diarrhea, and can become severe if ignored for years.
The AIIMS study covered 23,000 people, of which 0.6 per cent (around one in 160) suffered from the disease.
The study found that celiac disease was more common in the northern India (1.2 per cent), compared to the North East (0.8 per cent) and south India (0.1 per cent).
“Around one-third of Indians have genetic susceptibility to develop celiac disease and the only treatment is to avoid food items made from wheat. 100 gm of wheat contains 80 per cent of gluten protein. Around 50 mg of gluten, equivalent to a bite of a chappati, may be harmful to patients suffering from celiac disease. Management of celiac disease involves a gluten-free diet primarily,” Dr Makharia said.
He added that celiac disease is not reported extensively in India, and that the biggest impediment in its prevention and treatment is the limited awareness about it and its causes.
Screening programmes within populations indicated that the disease js under-diagnosed and what was clinically detected represents only the tip of the iceberg.