Celiac disease, which is rare in this part of the world, is caused by gluten — a mixture of protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

This autoimmune disorder often manifests itself with diarrhoea and bloating.

“Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune response of an organism either fights against its own tissues, cells or cell components,” said Dr Private Kamanzi of Amazon Nutrition and Complementary Therapy in Remera. “Consumption of gluten affects the villi, which are found in the small intestines.

“Gluten, once in the body, triggers the release of antibodies to fight it as the body now considers it dangerous.

“Celiac disease damages the inner lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing nutrients, especially fat, calcium, iron and folate.”

An entry in www.celiac.org states: “The disease, which can be diagnosed with a blood test, is best treated by sticking to a gluten-free diet.”

Gluten-free foods listed include fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy, beans, legumes, nuts, rice, cassava, corn or maize, soy, potato, sorghum, millet, arrowroot and amaranth.

Among foods which have gluten are barley, rye, barley malt, chicken broth, malt vinegar, some salad dressings, vegetable burgers and soy sauce, says the website. It adds that, according to experts, eating traditional foods that are uncontaminated by wheat keeps the disease away.

Dr Kamanzi added: “The protein may even hide in many common seasonings and spice mixes and certain sweets such as licorice.”

He cautioned, however, that eliminating gluten from your diet if you are not sensitive to it could be bad for your health. Consult your doctor or nutritionist before making major changes to your eating habits, he advised.

“Blood testing is quite crucial as it is through this that we get to diagnose the disease,” said the medic. “When we find high levels of histamine in the blood, we can accurately point out that celiac disease is present in the patient’s body.

“With the excessive presence of this protein histamine in the body system, things such as rashes occur on the body due to its inflammatory nature. Sometimes adult acne is a result of the presence of this disease.”

Although there is no cure for it yet, the disease, if left untreated by eating the food groups mentioned above, can lead to diseases such as osteoporosis, anaemia, diabetes type 1 and loss of weight, among many other autoimmune diseases that result from the malfunction of the small intestine.

Sadly, many Rwandans are not aware of the disease because it affects people gradually, making it very easy to mistake for other diseases. And, as Dr Kamanzi put it, “it is best to do a blood test because most people with blood group A tend to be most vulnerable.”

Celiac can start quite early but its effects begin when a mother starts giving infant formula to a child before the six months of recommended breastfeeding are over.

The baby’s small intestine lining is still fragile and, as it grows up, the disease will manifest.

“I strongly advise parents to completely avoid feeding their young ones with such foods until their system can fully digest that food,” said Dr Kamanzi. “Last but very important, read the label of the packed food that you buy.”