Celiac disease is a lifelong autoimmune disease occuring in genetically predisposed individuals upon ingestion of gluten. Gluten-induced autoimmune enteropathy disrupts complex physiological, barrier and immune functions of small intestine leading to extraordinary broad clinical symptomatology.
Besides intestinal complaints, celiac patients have a large variety of extraintestinal symptoms. Therefore, celiac disease is considered as a systemic autoimmune disorder.
The article provides an overview on etiopathogenesis of celiac disease, including pathogenesis of the intestinal and extraintestinal symptomatology.