Celiac Disease Program

Learn about what causes celiac disease and its diagnosis and treatment from Alan M. Leichtner, MD, director of the Celiac Disease Program.

Intestinal lining with damaged villa Intestinal lining with healthy villa

>	Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, which describes what happens when your body's immune system, which usually fights infections to keep you healthy, attacks one of your organs or tissues inappropriately. In the case of celiac disease, the organ that is damaged is the small intestine. This damage only occurs when gluten is eaten.
>	Celiac disease damages the villi in your intestinal lining and your body can't absorb nutrients as it should. If you have celiac disease, gluten crosses the lining of the intestine and activates the immune system. The villi are then damaged.
>	You can not "grow out" of celiac disease. Your body will always be sensitive to gluten.
>	There is currently no medication to treat celiac disease. If you have celiac disease, you must follow a strict gluten-free diet, which means that you may not eat anything that contains wheat, rye, barley, and their derivatives.
>	On a gluten-free diet, the intestinal damage will heal, the villi will regrow, and the symptoms will disappear.
>	Children with celiac disease on a gluten-free diet are expected to lead a completely normal life.