The institute is already carrying out research and it is the main centre not only in India, but in entire Asia.
New Delhi: The country’s premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, will sensitise people about the Celiac disease, which is spreading its tentacles among a large population. The disease is so far incurable and there is no medicine for it. Saturday was Celiac Day.
The institute is already carrying out research and it is the main centre not only in India, but in entire Asia. It runs a special clinic for patients with Celiac disease every Thursday afternoon. So far 1,300 patients suffering from disease have been registered with the clinic.
AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said, as per estimates, about 60-80 lakh Indians have Celiac disease, of them only a few have been diagnosed. “With increasing awareness, the number of such patients will rise exponentially. There is a need to further increase the awareness about the disease and strengthen infrastructure for widespread availability of the diagnostic tests and also availability of reliable and affordable gluten-free food,” he said.
The disease occurs because of ingestion of a protein, called gluten, which is present in cereals like wheat and barley. This disease occurs only to those who have genetic susceptibility (presence of specific genes) which develops it. In these patients, gluten protein is not digested completely which leads to damage of the small intestine. Since food is not absorbed properly, patients fail to grow in height and weight, develop diarrhoea, anaemia and weakness of bones. They feel weak and thin.
Speaking to this newspaper, Dr Govind Makharia said there is no treatment of the disease so far though the research is going on all over the world, including in AIIMS.
“The only way treatment is to avoid food products made of wheat and barley, which contains gluten. Early diagnosis is the key. Someone who is having regular complaints of diarrhoea, anemia should get himself diagnosed. It can be done through a blood test,” he said.
Earlier, he said, it was believed that the disease occurs only in children and seen only by paediatricians. “But this is not true. Celiac disease can affect person of any age, including even elederly. Many a time, the patient many not have any obvious symptoms, but they fail to gain weight and their bones remain week and fracture even with minor trauma,” he added.