Dr. Wataru Tamura, a Tucson gastroenterologist, expert on CD diagnosis using the capsule endoscopy or "Pill Cam" and Southern Arizona Celiac Support (SACS) Medical Advisory Board member, will speak at SACS General Meeting, on March 29 at the Pima Community College District Office Campus,  4905 E. Broadway, Bldg. C in Tucson.  Meet, greet and eat begins at 8:30 a.m. The lecture will begin at 9:00 a.m. with a Q&A period following.  There will be a large variety of Gluten Free (GF) snacks and support.  All SACS events are free and open to the public.

Also at this meeting information will be announced on how you may pre-register (if you are a first degree relative of a diagnosed celiac) for a free celiac screening blood test.  SACS thanks Prometheus Laboratories for donating these 100 screenings.  The actual screenings will take place on May 10 during SACS' Annual Gluten Free Food Faire in Tucson.

Celiac Disease (CD) strikes 1 in 100 Americans yet most people have never even heard of it!  CD has more than 200 symptoms which resemble other diseases so it is nearly always mis- or under-diagnosed.  Doctors and other medical professionals often miss detecting this elusive disease.  The average patient may wait 9 to 11 years for correct diagnosis.  

There is no cure. It is a disease not an allergy.  When gluten is eaten by people with CD the lining of the small intestine (which digests and absorbs nutrients) is damaged or destroyed so the body is unable to absorb basic vitamins, minerals and in some cases, water and bile salts.  Left untreated, damage can be life threatening. Successful treatment is to remove the gluten which is in wheat, rye, oats and barley permanently from the diet. Proper treatment, lifelong 100% permanent gluten free (GF) diet, usually allows the intestinal lining to heal and restores normal function leading to a full life.  Symptoms are as varied as the nutritional deficiencies of malabsorption.  Infants, toddlers and children may exhibit growth failure and vomiting.   Onset can occur at any age.

Antibody tests are not 100% diagnostic but may be useful to identify those people who need a biopsy and who are currently consuming gluten.   A small bowel biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosis at this time but the "Pill Cam" is gaining acceptance and has excellent potential.

Maintaining a GF diet is not easy but not that hard with support and experience.  Gluten is in soups, salad dressings, processed foods, soy sauce, licorice, even medicines! When CD sufferers eat gluten,  tissue damage occurs whether symptoms are noticed or not.

 SACS' Annual GF Food Faire May 10, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. will be full of ideas, GF product samples, support and information exchange. For more information on where the upcoming GF Food Faire will be held, SACS sponsored monthly support groups, and criteria on how to pre-register for a free CD screening blood test, please visit http://www.southernarizonaceliacsupport.org/ or call (520) 971-9595 or (520) 744-3862.