Guidelines for Practice & Treating
The guideline recommendations are designed to help healthcare professionals make clinical decisions based on evidence and/or expert opinions.
Guidelines for Practice
The Celiac Association “Guidelines for Practice” were written for healthcare professionals working in celiac disease related fields. The guideline recommendations are designed to help healthcare professionals make clinical decisions based on evidence and/or expert opinions.
While people with celiac disease and members of the general public have access to this site, they should not attempt to use the information to self-manage or diagnose. Any treatment must be made only after consultation with their physicians.
Information written specifically for the person with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis is available on the CCA Web site.
Information on the following topics is available by clicking on the title below:
Screening for Celiac Disease
– symptoms and related conditions of celiac disease
Diagnosing Celiac Disease
– procedures for testing for celiac disease
Treating Celiac Disease
– nutritional guidelines for helping your celiac patient deal
with a diagnosis
Guidelines for Treating
Gluten is the general name of specific proteins in certain grains. The glutens in wheat, rye and barley cause a toxic reaction in people with celiac disease preventing the absorption of essential nutrients.
The gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease. This diet can be complex to follow so patients should be referred to a registered dietitian with expertise in celiac disease for education. The patient should also be encouraged to join the Canadian Celiac Association for ongoing support.
The only treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet for life. The diet should never be started before a small intestinal biopsy is positive for celiac disease.
For more information on the gluten-free diet visit www.celiac.ca and access the nutrition section.
For more information see: Cross Contamination