ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Celiac disease is something that most people may not know they have. Studies show that as many as one in every 141 Americans may have celiac disease, but in children’s cases, they’re underdiagnosed. Research shows that only one in 10 children with high-risk symptoms and conditions are being tested for celiac disease. Now, for celiac awareness month, experts say recognizing the signs early can make a difference.
Maricruz Crespo, MD, pediatric gastroenterologist at Orlando Health, spends her day helping kids with digestive diseases.
“I think that the gut is very important in the kids’ health,” she told Ivanhoe.
But one day, the doctor found herself on the other side of the diagnosis.
Dr. Crespo’s son Julian was diagnosed with celiac disease at three years old.
“I started crying because I couldn’t believe it,” she recalled.
“I remember I had a rash across my face. I didn’t remember all of them, but my mom told me that I was bloating and I had a lot of diarrhea,” said Julian.
Celiac in kids is often undiagnosed. A study found that only 10% of 200,000 children who had a symptom or condition that should have led to celiac disease testing were tested.
“They come with belly pain or diarrhea, constipation, and the first thing you think is not celiac disease,” explained Dr. Crespo.
She says red flags to watch for: not gaining weight, having diarrhea, and not growing taller. At first, Julian thought he could resist celiac. Then he ate a Twizzler…
“Thirty to 45 minutes later, I started having stomach pain really badly. I started throwing up, and I couldn’t stop it at all,” Julian recalled.
Luckily, he’s got a mother who taught him everything he needs to know.
“Milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanut, wheat, and soy are used. So, then you need to be concerned of cross-contamination,” Dr. Crespo said.
For Julian, he’s more than prepared to deal with celiac. His advice to any kid dealing with this?
“Keep your head up and don’t give up,” Julian says
His next goal is track season, readying himself to be the best.
While it is difficult to keep track of gluten-free options, one app that Julian uses is the “Find Me Gluten Free” app. It helps you track restaurants that serve gluten-free options. When checking the nutrition label, Dr. Crespo says to watch out for wheat, barley, and rye, as those three always contain gluten. However, she says oats are still controversial.
Contributors to this news report include: Cliff Tumetel, Producer; Shay Goldschmidt, Videographer; & Chuck Bennethum, Editor.
Sources:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/celiac-disease
https://www.findmeglutenfree.com/
* For More Information, Contact:
Maricruz Crespo, MD
Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Orlando Health
maricruz.crespo@orlandohealth.com
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