Optimum Health Resource Laboratories has introduced to the US a simple, unique and revolutionary finger-stick rapid test kit designed to detect the antibodies associated with Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance.

    Celiac Disease (CD) is a gluten intolerance enteropathy caused by a permanent intolerance to gluten and specifically to its protein fragment known as gliadin. The ingestion of this protein in people with genetic predisposition induces a severe compromise to the intestinal mucosa that is historically characterized by one hyperplasia of cryptas with total or subtotal atrophy of the intestinal microvilli.

    Though the definitive diagnosis of the celiac disease is based in characteristic histological changes observed in intestinal biopsies, the serological tests, such as the detection of antibodies anti-gliadins, anti-tTG and anti-endomysium, represent methods of analyses cheaper and less invasive to the detection of the disease.

    According to John Kernohan, Director of Optimum Health Resource Laboratories, “This new rapid test is a great improvement over our original cdSCAN, which we introduced back in 2002.  Individuals now have a even quicker, more convenient and reliable means to determine if Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance is the culprit behind their ill-health.”

    The new and improved cdSCAN is able to analyze a tiny sample of whole blood, serum or plasma for IgA/IgG/IgM antibodies against human Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) and IgA antibodies against gliadin.  The kit can be utilized in either the comfort of one's own home or at a doctor's office, and the results are available in approximately 10 minutes.

    In addition to the approximate 1 million Americans suffering from classical Celiac Disease, there are an equal number of individuals with silent or latent Celiac Disease who are unaware of their condition because they do not have the signs and symptoms typically associated with CD.  These individuals run the risk of developing full-blown CD later in life and complications such as bowel cancer, infertility and autoimmune diseases, making proper and early diagnosis very important.

BACKGROUND NOTES:

* Celiac Disease is a genetic disorder affecting children and adults. People with CD are unable to eat foods that contain gluten, which is found in wheat and other grains. In people with CD, gluten sets off an autoimmune reaction that causes the destruction of the villi in the small intestine.  People with CD produce antibodies that attack the intestine, causing damage and illness.

* Symptoms of Celiac Disease include diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal pain, chronic fatigue, weakness, malnutrition, and other gastrointestinal problems.  In children, the symptoms may include failure to thrive, irritability, inability to concentrate, diarrhea and bloating.  Further, people affected by CD may experience extra intestinal symptoms that involve many systems and organs including bones (osteoporosis, arthritis, and joint pain), blood (anemia and bleeding), reproductive system (infertility and reoccurring miscarriages), nervous system (chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, dementia), and behavioral changes.  However, some people who have a “silent” form of the disease have no obvious symptoms or only experience vague symptoms such as fatigue.

* Nearly one out of every 133 Americans suffer from Celiac Disease, according to a study by Alessio Fasano, M.D. with the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research.  The research indicates that CD is twice as common as Crohn's Disease, ulcerative colitis and cystic fibrosis combined.

* Untreated Celiac Disease can be life threatening.  Celiacs are more likely to be afflicted with problems relating to malabsorption, including osteoporosis, tooth enamel defects, central and peripheral nervous system disease, pancreatic disease, internal hemorrhaging, organ disorders (gall bladder, liver, and spleen), and gynecological disorders.  Untreated CD has also been linked to an increased risk of certain types of cancer, especially intestinal lymphoma.