Celiac Disease: A Review

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease with both allergy and autoimmune characteristics. It affects 0.5-1% of the population and is particularly common in Western countries. Symptoms include villous atrophy and malabsorption due to the tissue damage from inappropriate immune response. There is no cure, though celiac is typically treated with a strict, lifelong gluten free diet. The immune response in patients with celiac disease is predominantly caused by tissue transglutaminase enzyme activity and activated T cells in response to gluten ingestion, which kill intestine lining. Other therapies in research include immunotherapies and genetically modified wheat. This paper is a comprehensive review of the disease itself, the mechanism by which celiac presents clinical symptoms, as well as potential therapies or treatments.