[dropcap]A[/dropcap]bdominal distention, or bloating, is characterized by enlargement in normal size of abdomen not due to fatty tissue.
Q: Why does the abdomen enlarge?
A: The abdomen enlarges because the bowel is dysfunctional. Loops of bowel usually lack normal peristalsis (rhythmic wave-like muscle movement) trapping gas in stagnant loops of bowel, inflammation swells loops of bowel also trapping gas, and dysbiosis overproduces gas. All these factors distend the abdomen.
What Is Chronic Abdominal Distention In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
[dropcap]H[/dropcap]ypocalcemia, or low plasma calcium, means the level of calcium in blood is too low to meet metabolic needs of the body for calcium.
Low blood calcium is characterized by bone and tooth demineralization (loss of calcium causing weak teeth and fragile bones), and these impaired functions: nerve conduction, muscle contraction, blood clotting, blood pressure regulation, glycogen to glucose conversion, many hormone actions, many enzyme activities, and acetylcholine production.
Q: Where is calcium found in the body?
A: Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, with 99% residing in bones and teeth where it constitutes 40% of skeletal bone weight along with 45% phosphorus. As a component of bone (hard tissue), calcium fulfills a structural role to maintain body size and act as attachments for musculoskeletal tissues. The remaining 1% of calcium is present in blood and soft tissues.
Calcium levels in the blood are maintained within very strict limits by dietary intake, hormonal regulation by the parathyroid gland and a rapidly exchangeable pool in bone tissue.
What Is Hypocalcemia In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
[dropcap]N[/dropcap]eutropenia is a blood disorder characterized by presence of an abnormally low number of neutrophils.
Neutrophils are white blood cells (leukocytes) that serves as the primary defense against infections by destroying bacteria in the blood.
Specfically, neutrophils are a type of granulocyte that contain granules filled with potentchemicals to break down the microbes they ingest. Some of these chemicals, such as histamine, also contribute to inflammation and allergy.
The process of eating and digesting microbes is called phagocytosis. Neutrophils are phagocytes.1
Q: How do neutrophils eat microbes?
A: Segmented neutrophils are the mature phagocytes that migrate through tissues to destroy microbes and respond to inflammatory stimuli. Segmented neutrophils comprise 40-75 % of the peripheral leukocytes. They are usually 9 to 16 µm in diameter. The nuclear lobes, normally numbering from 2 to 5, may be spread out so that the connecting filaments are clearly visible, or the lobes may overlap or twist. The chromatin pattern is coarse and clumped. The cytoplasm is abundant with a few nonspecific granules and a full complement of rose-violet specific granules.1
What Is Neutropenia In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]ncreased appetite is the increased desire for food.
Q: What causes appetite.
A: Appetite is caused by hunger.
The brain monitors nutritional needs and employs a hunger mechanism to alert us when fresh food is needed. Hunger is mainly caused by the need for protein. Low blood sugar also triggers hunger.
The tempting sight, smell, taste and expectation of food stimulates involuntary sensory nerves. By reflex action, these sensory nerves cause muscle and sensory activity in various digestive organs. Salivary glands in the mouth begin to secrete saliva as stomach glands and muscles become active.1
What Is Increased Appetite In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Sources:
Cleo Libonati. Recognizing Celiac Disease. Gluten Free Works Publishing, Fort Washington, PA 19034 USA [↩]
Beaded Barium Swallow Shows Spasms of Espophagus. Courtesy Quizlet.com
What Are Esophageal Motor Abnormalities?
[dropcap]E[/dropcap]sophageal motor abnormalities are disorders of the esophagus involving altered muscular motility characterized by impaired esophageal peristalsis, or the progressive wave-like movement that occurs automatically when food or fluids are swallowed.
Q: What is altered motility?
A: Altered motility describes the lack of coordinated muscular movements or weak muscular movement needed to rapidly propel food and fluids through the highly muscular esophagus from the throat to the stomach.
The esophagus is a tube-like organ that begins at the cricoid cartilage (Adam’s apple) as a continuation of the pharynx and ends at the lower esophageal sphincter (LES).
The LES is a very strong, circular muscle surrounding the junction of the esophagus and stomach. The LES opens to allow swallowed food and liquids to enter the stomach and closes to prevent their travelling back into the esophagus.
Failure of the lower esophageal sphincter to remain tightly closed after swallowing allows stomach contents to reenter the esophagus giving symptoms of heartburn.
On the other hand, failure of the LES to relax traps the contents of the esophagus so that it cannot quickly empty into the stomach as it should. Because the esophagus is not designed to hold food/fluids, the abnormal expansion results in pain, anxiety and possibly vomiting and choking. If the contents are aspirated into the windpipe upon choking, there will be coughing with attempts to clear it.
What Are Esophageal Motor Abnormalities In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
What Is Chronic Or Recurrent Abdominal Pain? [dropcap]A[/dropcap]bdominal pain is characterized by pain anywhere in the abdominal cavity between the chest and groin. This region is often referred to as the belly. Abdominal pain, or…
Hypoglycemia means the level of glucose within cells is too low to meet metabolic needs of the body for this essential sugar.
Q: What are the metabolic needs for glucose?
A: Glucose is the most important simple sugar in human metabolism mainly because it is the primary source of energy for most cells of the body.
Energy contained in the glucose molecule is obtained by the body from its reaction with oxygen (oxidation). This oxidation reaction occurs in power producing mitochondria structures that are located within cells.1
Hypoglycemia is characterized by alterations in neurologic, metabolic and muscular functions:
Neurologic function because brain tissue is particularly dependent on glucose for energy,
Metabolic function of glucose-dependent tissues which include red blood cells, white blood cells, bone marrow, eye, inner heart of the kidney, and peripheral nerves because these tissues cannot metabolize fatty acids as an alternate source of energy, and
Muscle function because muscle cells continually require glucose for energy production.
Glucose is made available to cells through the regulating action of insulin, a hormone produced by specialized cells located on the surface of the pancreas.
What Is Hypoglycemia In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]ransient erythroblastopenia is a rare disorder of red blood cell formation characterized by brief, reversible disappearance of erythroblasts (red blood cell precursors) in the bone marrow of children.
Q: What do the red blood cells look like?
A: Circulating red blood cells appear normal so that the anemia which develops is a normocytic (normal cellular) anemia in contrast to microcytic (small cell) anemia in iron deficiency or macrocytic (large cell) anemia in vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency.
Because new red blood cells are failing to mature, packed red blood cell transfusions may be necessary in severe anemia.
In adults, this disorder is called pure red blood cell anemia.
What Is Transient Erythroblastopenia In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]phthous ulcers, also called canker sores, are a chronic disorder of soft mouth tissue characterized by small, painful purpuric, papular, or erosive lesions that are often surrounded by erythematous (red) margins.1
Q: What soft mouth tissues develop canker sores?
A: Canker sores can erupt on the mucosal surface of the inside lip, sides of mouth, under the tongue and along the side of the tongue. When they are forming, the area swells into a papule, or small bump. Later, the surface erodes and a crater forms with firm pus.
What Are Aphthous Ulcers In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
Sources:
Lahteenoja H, Toivanen A, Viander M, Maki M, Irjala K, Raiha I, Syrjanen S. Oral mucosal changes in coeliac patients on a gluten-free diet. European Journal of Oral Sciences. Oct 1998;106(5):899,8p. [↩]
Small Bowel Volvulus Caused the Enlarged Dark Loops. Courtesy African Journal of Pediatric Surgery.
What Is Volvulus?
[dropcap]V[/dropcap]olvulus is twisting of a loop(s) of bowel onto itself which effectively closes it thus preventing digested matter from passing and causing engorgement of the closed loop with gas and fluid.
Q: How does the bowel get untwisted?
A: This condition usually necessitates surgical correction although some do return to their proper position.
The danger is that there may develop necrosis of the twisted loop(s) in which case, if left untreated,death will ensue.
What Is Volvulus In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?
What Is Chronic Abdominal Distention?
![Aphthous_ulcer[1]](https://glutenfreeworks.com/health/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/Aphthous_ulcer1.jpg)
