Family Medical History

In order to explain how my genetics and family medical history impacts me, I must first briefly explain the disease that is the risk factor for me. Celiac disease is a hereditary immune system-mediated disorder that can lead to other serious illnesses such as cancer. Celiac disease affects the small intestine and many other parts of a person’s body; Celiac disease is a disease which makes a person unable to ingest gluten because of the affects that gluten has on the body. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye which acts like the glue that holds the food substance together. When gluten is consumed on a regular basis by someone who has been diagnosed with celiac disease, the body's digestive system is hindered and the body eventually …show more content…
Many believe that celiac disease can be triggered by environmental interactions, such as stress, while others think it is a very rare genetic disease. According to Martin F Kagnoff of the Department of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego, one or two forms of a gene which are coded to a specific HLA - DQ2 or DQ8 heterodimer, or different molecule/nucleic acid, are present in a person who is diagnosed with celiac diagnosed with celiac disease. If a family member has the condition already, it is important to go through blood testing or genetic testing to determine if you are at risk. Celiac disease is also very common among those who already have serious illnesses such as autoimmune hepatitis, thyroiditis, addison disease, and many other …show more content…
Unfortunately the disease has only recently been discovered as an issue among my family; my mother and her family has only found out about the disease within the last seven years. My mother had been the first of all of the women in my family who have the disease to be diagnosed with it. When I was a young child, my mother started to develop gastrointestinal issues and constantly visited the hospital because of the severity of the pain. First the doctors ruled out IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), depression, and any intestinal infections, for a while my mother had no idea what was going on with her body. After going through many blood tests and a biopsy, she was diagnosed with celiac disease. Not only was this very confusing to her but it was very confusing to our entire family. None of us really knew what gluten was at the time, especially myself considering that I was a young child at the time. When she was diagnosed it was through that her celiac disease was adult onset due to intense stress because it developed so late in her life, in order to rule out whether her condition was hereditary or not, her family needed to get tested for the disease as well. After her diagnosis, she proceeded to call both of her parents and her siblings and suggested that they go through screenings to discover if celiac disease was affecting them as well. Doctors often advise first degree relatives of patients diagnosed with celiac