Celiac disease, more commonly known as a gluten allergy, is a medical condition that is rarely taken serious, but Cucinello says should. “When someone with a gluten allergic consumes goods that contain wheat, barley or rye, it can create antibodies that attack various cells in the body, including hair follicles,” he explains.
What you can do: According to Julie Russak, MD, having a blood test for anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies, endomysial antibodies (EMA) and newer deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) antibodies can help diagnose this disease. “Most people with celiac disease also have genetic predisposition to the disease encoded for by two human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene variants. They're referred to as HLA-DQ2, found in 95 percent of those diagnosed, and HLA-DQ8. Definitive diagnosis is reached through a biopsy performed by the gastroenterologist from the stomach,” she explains. If diagnosed, Dr. Russak advises to avoid gluten at all costs, ingested through food but also in topical forms.
