Celiac Disease

Overview

Celiac disease is an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. If you have celiac disease, sometimes called sprue or coeliac, eating gluten triggers an immune response in your small intestine. Over time, this immune reaction damages the small intestine's lining and hinders absorption of some nutrients (malabsorption). The intestinal damage often causes stomach pain, diarrhea and weight loss, and can lead to serious complications.

Why choose Mayo Clinic

• Experience. Each year, Mayo Clinic doctors treat more than 2,000 people with celiac disease, including many complicated cases.
• Expertise. Celiac disease can be confused with other digestive disorders. Mayo Clinic has the expertise and latest imaging tools to accurately identify the source of your problem.
• Comprehensive care. Celiac disease can cause complications such as osteoporosis, infertility and intestinal cancer. Mayo Clinic's integrated practice gives you rapid access to the expertise needed to solve your problems.
• Time for you. Mayo Clinic doctors take the time to listen to you, to explain your options and answer your questions. Mayo dietitians help you learn to live gluten free.
• Research. Mayo's celiac research program is investigating the disease's causes and complications as well as ways to improve diagnosis. You have access to the expertise of Mayo's clinician-researchers.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., ranks No. 1 for digestive disorders in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., and in Jacksonville, Fla., are ranked among the Best Hospitals for digestive disorders by U.S. News & World Report.

Read more about celiac disease at MayoClinic.com.