Challenges of Celiac Disease

 By Ryan Douglas  

JRN100 Staff Writer

When most people open a restaurant menu, they get dozens of choices of what they can eat, but Matt Brinker is lucky if he can find a few dining choices. 

"I feel like I am being punished for having this disease, when in reality I cannot control it at all," said Brinker (18), a freshman at Northeastern College in Boston, Massachusetts, who is one of a growing number of people diagnosed with celiac disease. 

Once considered a rare condition affecting mostly children, celiac disease in the last few decades is increasingly being diagnosed in all ages and becoming a growing concern, recent research shows. 

In an article published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition in 2014, titled "The New Epidemiology of Celiac Disease," Dr. Carlo Catassi said that celiac disease is now considered one of the most common immune disorders, affecting 1% to 3% of the global population. This is approximately 79,426,450 people worldwide who are affected by celiac disease. 

Dr. Alessio Fasano, chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Mass General Hospital for Children, specializes in the treatment of gluten disorders, including celiac disease.  

Fasano said celiac disease is a "very serious condition." The disease can be harmful to the body if left untreated shortly after gluten is digested and processed through the body.  

"Celiac disease can cause gastrointestinal issues and other things like fatigue, and malnutrition to occur within patients who are not treated," Fasano said.  

Fasano said that recent research has shown that this disease is becoming more common in today's world.

  

"We used to think that celiac disease was a rare disorder that mainly affected children," said Fasano.  

"Studies show that it is much more common than we previously thought and can affect people of all ages," said Fasano.  

According to the article published in the Journal of Pediatric and Gastroenterology and Nutrition, one of the main reasons for the increased prevalence of this disease worldwide is the change in environmental factors. This includes food processing, agricultural practices, and dietary habits. Gluten is being used in processed foods, and the demand for grains containing gluten has increased over the past couple of decades.  

Brinker gave an insight into living a life with celiac disease and the challenges it possesses.  

"Not being able to eat gluten makes my life a little harder, but at this point in my life, I am used to it," said Brinker.  

Celiac disease puts a barrier on foods like pasta, cereal, and most grains. Many foods within restaurants contain gluten.  

"Whenever I go somewhere to eat, I have to ask if they have a gluten-free menu or if their food contains gluten," Brinker said.  

Brinker has found some problems within the college environment with this disease. 

"There are very limited options on campus. There is a small corner that has a limited variety of gluten-free options," said Brinker.  

The school did provide Brinker with a small microwave and refrigerator for his room. This allows him to buy food and store it in his room for the week. 

 

"This is helpful, but not the most convenient thing in the world. I have to go out of my way to buy food for the week every week," Brinker said.  

The microwave and refrigerator were a nice gesture from the school, but Brinker feels there should be a fresh food option on campus for kids who need to eat gluten-free food.  

"Microwaved food can get old after a while. So, having a freshly cooked meal option in the dining hall would be great," said Brinker.   

Brinker is not the only kid on campus struggling with finding gluten-free options.  

"I know many kids who also struggle with the same thing I am going through at the college dining hall," Brinker said.

 

He believes colleges should provide gluten-free consumers with more available offerings that are accessible on the campus.  

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, there were approximately 19.4 million students in the United States in 2020 with celiac disease. Today, 5-10% of college students in the United States have Celiac disease or another gluten-related allergy. The disease is being discovered more commonly within the college and university settings.  

Fasano is a strong advocate for raising awareness in order to provide people with this condition some help and also manage it effectively. Overall, he believes as numbers increase, awareness has to also increase across the world. 

 

"Celiac disease is easy to treat. The patient must follow a strict gluten-free diet," Fasano said. 

 

A patient must educate oneself about what foods are safe to eat and what foods to stay away from. A strict gluten-free diet is the best form of treatment for this disease.   

Fasano believes it is important to be proactive when celiac disease is first detected. People need to come forward and accept that they have this disorder in order for their health and safety.  

With the increase of celiac disease among college students, Fasano believes colleges and universities have a responsibility to provide safe gluten-free foods. These students should advocate for themselves and talk to the dining service to make sure the food is safe to eat.  

Brinker believes colleges should have more than one little area within the dining hall for gluten free options.  

"Maybe add a gluten-free station that has different options of food each day," Brinker said.  

This would add convenience to all students who have celiac disease. With these added options, students can spend their meal dollars on campus rather than traveling to the store and buying food for the week.

  

As the landscape of celiac disease continues to change the awareness of this disease will increase. 

 

Fasano said celiac disease is not ideal but with the right resources students can "thrive and succeed within a learning environment," Fasano said.