DEAR DR. GOTT: This is in regard to your article about the 15-year-old with chronic abdominal pain. Why didn’t you think of celiac disease? My granddaughter was diagnosed at age 6 after developing severe abdominal pain. She managed her celiac and is doing very well on a gluten-free diet.
DEAR READER: Your letter is just one of many I have received about this young girl’s problem.
Celiac disease (also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue and gluten-sensitive enteropathy) is a digestive disorder. These people cannot tolerate the protein gluten, which is found in wheat, rye and barley. These grains are present in many foods, even some nonfood items, such as vitamins and medications.
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