Diseases Of The Small Intestine

Question 1

What is celiac disease?

Answer 1

Is an immune mediated disorder of the small bowel occurring in genetically susceptible individuals, which results from intolerance to wheat gluten and similar proteins.

Question 2

Pathophysiology of celiac disease

Answer 2

A peptide derived from gluten called gliadin causes damage to the small intestine. There is local inflammation, and the process leads to the destruction of the small intestinal villi. This destruction, in turn, leads to the decreased functionality of the intestinal surface and malabsorption. The lack of nutrient absorption impacts directly on the digestive system but also indirectly on all the systems of the body. This impact results in generally poor health and is the reason why celiac disease can have signs and symptoms arising from almost any system of the body, not just the gastrointestinal system.

Question 3

Histopathology of celiac disease

Answer 3

Celiac disease only involves the mucosa of the small bowel. The villi may be absent or atrophic and the crypt hyperplasia is present. An increased proliferation of lymphocytes and plasma cells is seen in the lamina propria.