Celiac disease what type of doctor

Gluten-Free Gluten-Free Recipes. Practitioner Name — Only include practitioner's name. Do not include title or degree e. The chronic inflammation also can cause abdominal discomfort. Gluten sensitivity, also called non-celiac gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance, may cause uncomfortable digestive symptoms similar to those of celiac disease, but the two conditions are not the same.

Gluten sensitivity does not cause intestinal inflammation or damage, nor does it trigger the production of antibodies after a person consumes gluten. Both of these conditions differ from a wheat allergy, in which the body produces an immune response to a specific component in wheat. A food allergy occurs when the immune system overreacts to a food protein. People with a wheat allergy can usually stop the symptoms by avoiding all foods with wheat.

Unlike people with celiac disease, young people with a wheat allergy may eventually outgrow it in adulthood. People who have celiac disease commonly experience weight loss, as well as digestive symptoms, including diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating.

Not everyone with celiac disease experiences the same symptoms. Some people have no digestive complaints whatsoever, yet routine blood tests reveal low levels of vital nutrients, such as iron, vitamin B12, or vitamin D. NYU Langone doctors take all of these signs and symptoms into account when making a diagnosis. The exact cause of celiac disease remains largely unknown. Some theories suggest environmental factors trigger celiac disease in people with these genetic variations, but more research is needed.

Because celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune disorder, people with the disease may be at risk for other conditions in which the body attacks healthy tissues. Among the most common are rheumatoid arthritis , an autoimmune condition in which there is painful swelling in joints, and autoimmune hepatitis, which causes persistent inflammation of the liver. To do this, you will need a set of celiac blood tests. Your primary care healthcare provider can order these tests. You need to be eating gluten for the tests to be accurate, so don't change your diet just yet.

If you have a positive result on these blood tests, it doesn't mean you definitely have celiac disease. However, it does mean your practitioner likely will refer you to a gastroenterologist —a type of medical professional who specializes in conditions involving the digestive system. A gastroenterologist can perform an endoscopy , a procedure that's usually the next step in the diagnostic process for celiac disease. Endoscopy involves the insertion of a flexible scope through the mouth and down the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine to obtain a tissue sample biopsy.

This is typically done on an outpatient basis. The sample will then be sent to a pathology lab for evaluation. As the final step to diagnose celiac disease, a healthcare provider called a pathologist —a type of practitioner who examines tissues—will review those samples of your small intestine to look for signs of villous atrophy a type of damage found in celiac disease involving the flattening of the finger-like lining of the intestines.

If celiac disease is diagnosed, it will be classified in order to ensure that the correct treatment is delivered. The classification system commonly used is known as the Modified Marsh Classification of Histologic Findings in Celiac Disease, designed in by medical pathologist Dr.

Michael Marsh. If you ultimately are diagnosed with celiac disease, either your gastroenterologist or your primary care healthcare provider or possibly both can provide follow-up care. Of course, other conditions potentially can have symptoms similar to those of celiac disease.

Your gastroenterologist can help you sort out the cause of those symptoms regardless of whether she ultimately diagnoses you with celiac—even if your blood tests come back negative.

If you don't test positive for the celiac disease on either the blood tests or the endoscopy, you almost certainly don't have celiac disease. However, negative results on these tests don't necessarily mean you don't have a problem with gluten—you may have non-celiac gluten sensitivity instead. So, eat as you normally would — do not go gluten-free yet — and make your first GI appointment, knowing what to bring with you and what to expect.

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