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Gluten-Positive Enteropathy Case Study

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Gluten-sensitive enteropathy, or coeliac disease, is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system has an adverse reaction to consuming food containing the protein gluten. This reaction involves directing antibodies to gluten, which results in an inflammation within the intestinal lining along with damaging the villi. Consequently, this results in a decline in the body’s ability in absorbing nutrients, leading to the person becoming malnourished. Despite the severity of this disease, however, there are still a series of steps that can be taken when treating coeliac disease.
The first step, which is the conventional approach in treating coeliac disease, is avoiding food that contains gluten; examples include bread, pasta and cereals. This …show more content…
Those people have the potential to be vulnerable in developing pneumococcal infections, and they are therefore advised to be vaccinated with pneumococcal vaccines as well as vaccines against meningitis C and flu. Additionally, gluten intolerance may further cause an itchy rash that is known as dermatitis herpetiformis (DH). This rash may be controlled solely by a gluten-free diet, however in some cases the rash may require further medication to be cleared. Those who develop the rash may be prescribed with medication in a tablet form called Dapsone. This is given in the lowest dose possible as it stimulates the occurrence of side effects such as depression and headaches.
Thirdly, some people would still have their symptoms persisting to present themselves, despite undergoing a gluten free diet. These people are suspected to have an infrequent type of coeliac disease, called refractory coeliac disease, and they will undergo further medical tests to reinforce this diagnosis. It is estimated that 1 in 140 people with coeliac disease will develop this condition. Treatment options for refractory coeliac disease include taking corticosteroids, which are anti-inflammatory medicines that suppress the immune system, thereby minimizing the body’s reaction to consuming

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