Celiac Disease vs Ulcerative Colitis: Difference and Comparison

Key Takeaways

1. Celiac Disease: Autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten ingestion, damaging the small intestine.
2. Ulcerative Colitis: Chronic inflammatory bowel disease causing inflammation and ulcers in the colon.
3. Difference: Celiac disease relates to gluten intolerance and affects the small intestine, while ulcerative colitis involves chronic colon inflammation.

What is Celiac Disease?

Coeliac disease, better known as celiac disease, is an autoimmune disorder. It is a chronic disease of the small intestine. This condition is provoked by gluten. It is a type of protein that might irritate some.

When people with this disease eat food items that contain gluten, their immune system attacks the lining of the small intestine. It leads to damage to the villi. Villi is responsible for immersing nutrients.

When the absorption of nutrients gets disrupted, several vital vitamins and minerals fail to provide us with goodness. It can lead to nutrient deficiencies, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue.

One must take blood tests and a small intestine biopsy to diagnose Celiac disease. To cure this disease, one must strictly avoid all the food items that carry gluten.

If one does not treat celiac disease, it can usher in severe health issues. It can also result in certain cancers and osteoporosis.

What is Ulcerative Colitis?

The human body can face several inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis. It occurs in the large intestine and affects the colon and rectum with chronic inflammation and ulcers.

This ailment can induce signs such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and urgency to have a bowel movement even when not required. The precise cause of this disorder is not confirmed. However, a combination of genetic and environmental factors gets blamed.

The immune system has a hand in the growth of the disease. It misperceives and attacks the lining of the colon and rectum. It becomes the main reason for inflammation.

To diagnose this disease, professional health experts will study your medical history, do a physical exam, and test blood and stool. One must take anti-inflammatory medication and a few biological therapies to cure this condition.

For some severe cases, surgery might be a necessity. With proper treatment, one can get fully cured and lead a productive life again.

Difference Between Celiac Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

1. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, whereas ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
2. Ulcerative colitis appears in the small intestine, while ulcerative colitis is the disease of the large intestine.
3. Some common signs of celiac disease are bloating, abdominal pain, fatigue, and diarrhea. In addition to abdominal pain and diarrhea, rectal bleeding and tenesmus are other significant symptoms of ulcerative colitis.
4. Blood tests, endoscopy, and biopsy will help to diagnose celiac disease, while ulcerative colitis can be diagnosed by colonoscopy, stool sample, and blood test.
5. This disease is stirred by gluten, so a gluten-free diet will help heal. At the same time, ulcerative colitis needs medications and surgery to cure.

Comparison Between Celiac Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

Parameter of Comparison	Celiac Disease	Ulcerative Colitis
Definition	One must undergo a blood test, endoscopy, and biopsy to diagnose this.	It is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
Affected area	It occurs in the small intestine.	It affects the large intestine.
Symptoms	Bloating, abdominal pain, fatigue, and diarrhea are common symptoms of this disorder.	Along with abdominal pain and diarrhea, rectal bleeding is another primary symptom of this disease.
Diagnosis	To diagnose this, one must undergo a blood test, endoscopy, and biopsy.	Colonoscopy, stool sample, and blood test will help to identify this disease.
Treatment	This disease is provoked by gluten, so a gluten-free diet will help to treat this condition.	Through anti-inflammatory medications and surgery, one can treat this.

References

1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10620-011-1783-y
2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ahg.12293

Last Updated : 04 August, 2023