What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease, also called gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is an immune disorder that causes damage to the small intestine.^[1] Although celiac disease has some symptoms in common with gluten sensitivity and wheat allergies, only celiac disease damages the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In addition to causing a range of GI symptoms, celiac disease can also affect multiple organ systems in the body.^[2] Although celiac disease is sometimes considered to be an autoimmune disorder, based on the production of autoantibodies and other features associated with autoimmune disease,^[3] it is not clear whether autoimmunity plays a major role in damaging the small intestine.^[4]