Harnaz Sandhu opens up about her health condition, Celiac; Know about this medical condition

by Shatakshi Gupta

After long 21 years, the title of Miss Universe was brought to India by Harnaz Kaur. After becoming Miss Universe, Harnaz Kaur Sandhu’s schedule is full of interviews, making public appearances, and modeling for big brands. While India praised her for winning the Miss Universe title in 2021, people recently trolled her for gaining weight. Harnaz’s has put on some weight in the last few months. For which she was being trolled a lot. While giving no heed to trolling comments, Harnaz opened up about her medical condition Celiac, the reason behind her weight gain. In this context, let’s understand about this disease.

What is Celiac?

The disease is associated with a protein named Gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, oats, and rye. Celiac disease is an immune reaction to eating gluten. Celiac disease in children can hinder their physical and mental development. In long run, it damages the inner lining of the intestine and results in malabsorption.

It is an autoimmune condition. In this, the immune system perceives healthy cells as hostile cells and starts producing antibodies against them. These antibodies can damage the intestines. This can cause inflammation and irritation in the intestines.

Symptoms of celiac:

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Celiac symptoms may vary from person to person. The symptoms of celiac disease keep appearing and disappear from time to time. It damages the intestines. Sometimes its symptoms are different in children and adults. Celiac disease can also cause many other diseases. Some of the symptoms are:

  • Symptoms related to the stomach are common. These include abdominal pain, bloating, and abdominal bloating. These symptoms are seen in a person when the small intestine fails to absorb essential nutrients from food. In this, you can have moderate to severe abdominal pain.
  •  Significant changes can be seen in the stool when a person suffers from this. Indigestion and constipation are common symptoms of celiac disease. Diarrhea in children is also a symptom of celiac disease. 
  • Persistent weight loss is a common symptom of celiac disease. This symptom is seen in both children and adults. In celiac disease, some people lose weight even with a normal appetite, while some people also experience loss of appetite. 
  • Symptoms such as fatigue, vomiting, nausea, and weakness can also be seen in some patients with celiac disease. These symptoms are more common in children than in adults.
  • Some other symptoms include slow growth of children, irritability, Skin scarring, Hair loss, and anemia.

 Causes of Celiac:

  • In some cases, the small intestine is not able to absorb nutrients from food, due to which the symptoms of the celiac disease begin to appear.
  • Celiac disease can also be caused by a family condition. When a close family member, such as a parent, has celiac disease, the child is more likely to have it. Children of families with celiac disease are up to 10 times more likely to develop the disease.
  • Environmental factors can also be responsible for celiac disease. For a person who has had an infection in the digestive system, the chances of getting this disease are very high.
  • Feeding gluten-rich foods to the baby before three months can also cause celiac disease. In this condition, the baby is at a higher risk of developing celiac disease.

 What a person should care about if suffering from Celiac disease?

 To prevent celiac disease, you must pay special attention to your diet.

  • Celiac disease is a genetic disease, so prevention becomes a bit difficult. To avoid this, you should always keep a distance from the consumption of foods containing gluten.
  • Eat Gluten-Free Foods. In this, you can also eat gluten-free bread, pasta, and cookies. Avoid foods associated with oats.
  • Avoid consumption of soy sauce, canned soup, ice cream, spices, ketchup, etc., as they contain gluten.
  • One should not consume foods made from wheat, rye, bran, or oatmeal such as bread, pasta, biscuits, and cakes.

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