My sister in law, Karen Edith Chan, a sands mum many times, died on Saturday from complications. She had Celiac Disease.
What is Celiac Disease?
disorder that affects at least 1 in 133 Americans. Symptoms
of celiac disease can range from the classic features, such as diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition, to latent symptoms such as isolated nutrient deficiencies but no gastrointestinal symptoms.
The disease mostly affects people of European
(especially Northern European) descent, but recent studies
show that it also affects Hispanic, Black and Asian
populations as well. Those affected suffer damage to the villi
(shortening and villous flattening) in the lamina propria and
crypt regions of their intestines when they eat specific food-
grain antigens (toxic amino acid sequences) that are found in
wheat, rye, and barley. Oats have traditionally been
considered to be toxic to celiacs, but recent scientific studies
have shown otherwise. This research is ongoing, however, and
it may be too early to draw solid conclusions.
