Celiac Disease Awareness Month - May 11, 2014

Each day this month, I will be posting something about Celiac Disease.

Day 11:

I'm not sure how I made it to day 11 of Celiac Disease Awareness Month without explaining the process of diagnosis, but I guess I'll go for it now.

There are three steps to properly diagnose celiac disease. It is important to start the process while consuming gluten for proper diagnosis.

1. Blood test to find gluten autoantibodies. 
2. Endoscopy for biopsy of the small bowel to find damage to the villi. 
3. Begin a strict gluten-free diet to determine effectiveness. 

These steps are known as the "gold standard" diagnosis. Later this week, I'll explain why this process is important. 

What do you think of the diagnosis process?