Celiac disease.

Celiac disease is an immunologically mediated enteropathy of the small intestine, characterized by lifelong intolerance to the gliadin and related prolamines from wheat and other cereals, that occurs in genetically predisposed individuals. Symptoms result from structural damage to the mucosa of the small intestine, which may cause malabsorption with positive autoantibodies in the sera. Normal mucosal architecture is restored after the use of a gluten-free diet and the normalization of the autoantibodies. Villous atrophy and high levels of autoantibodies reappear when gluten is reintroduced into the diet (gluten challenge).