Which Is It? An Allergy To Gluten Or Wheat, Or Could It Be Coeliac Disease?

lergies, though fairly uncommon, can be so severe, asmajority of wheat allergies come from, reactions to
to prove fatal, therefore it is of the utmostthe other two are more rare.
importance to get a diagnosis of the offending culprit.And just like Coeliac disease, avoidance is the only
It is also good to do some research.real treatment. But in the case of wheat allergies,
Coeliac or Celiac Diseaseeven inhaling flour particles, can be dangerous.
Though believed to be underdiagnosed, CoeliacAnaphylactic shock is the most severe symptom of
disease seems to affect about 1% of Indo-Europeanany allergy, requiring immediate attention, often
populations.emergency treatment with epinephrine, but there are
Coeliac disease is considered to be an immunologicother symptoms to wheat allergies that may include:
disorder, and is diagnosed after runniing a series of• coughing
blood tests in children. This autoimmune disorder• runny nose
generally occurs in genetically predisposed people and• watery or itchy eyes
is diagnosed after early infancy.• hives
Reaction to gliadin, a gluten protein found in wheat,• asthma
and similar proteins found in barley and rye, is the• allergic rhinitis
cause of Coeliac disease. This results in a problem of• swelling
the lining of the small intestine which interferes with• abdominal cramps
the absorption of nutrients.• chest pains
The malabsorption is what causes children with• diarrhea
Coeliac disease to sometimes have a ‘failure to• headaches
thrive’ symptom, which leads to a Coeliac• nausea
screening and diagnosis.• palpitations
Numerous other conditions are connected to Coeliac• rashes
and malabsorption, such as osteopenia or• sneezing
osteoporosis, fatigue and anemia.• fatigue
Coeliac disease is a gluten intolerance as opposed to• and more....
a true food allergy. As such, food intolerances, likeAccording to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of
Coeliac, usually become worse with age. On the otherAmerica most children outgrow wheat allergies, but
hand, a food allergy could possibly become lesstheir are many who are allergic for their entire lives.
severe or even, though only occasionally, go away asGluten Allergy
you grow older.Gluten is the substance that gives dough its elasticity,
A gluten free diet for life, is really the only effectivestrength, and makes the dough rise and is also found
treatment.in the malted barley used to make beer.
Wheat AllergyIn wheat, rye and barley, can be found a mixture of
The over reaction of the immune system fromthe proteins, gliadin and glutenin, or gluten which
exposure to wheat, can lead to severe symptomsmakes up around 80% of the protein contained in
for millions of people. This reaction involves antibodieswheat. Wheat, of course, provides much of the
to one or more proteins found in wheat. Theseworld’s dietary protein. A very important
proteins come from four groups:source of protein, gluten is not only in wheat flour,
• albuminbut is added to foods that are low in protein.
• globulinBut, for those who are allergic to gluten or wheat, in
• prolamin (most notably, gliadin) andcan be a nightmare scenario if injested or inhaled.
• glutelin (one of which is glutenin, a proteinThe same symptoms as outlined above occur in
involved in the making of gluten)gluten allergies as well. These allergies are important
But the first two, albumin and globulin, are where theto diagnose as some symptoms are life threatening.