Recognizing Celiac Disease: Signs, Symptoms, Associated Disorders & Complications
"A very thorough review of the literature!  A useful resource." --Peter Green, MD, Director, Celiac Disease Center, Columbia University."As simpler and more available testing is becoming available,  celiac disease is emerging as a significant disease with a diversity of  clinical presentations, often unrelated to the gastrointestinal tract.Recognizing Celiac Disease provides medical personnel with a concise  picture of the many clinical manifestations of how this disease can be  expressed. Additionally, it discusses in-depth, the multitude of diagnostic  techniques necessary to conduct a comprehensive differential diagnosis,  along with the detailed treatment considerations. Specifically, the  complexities of gluten free diet regimens are meticulously discussed.Recognizing Celiac Disease is a comprehensive celiac disease reference that  will serve as a manual for physicians and medical personnel that diagnose  and treat this complex disease process." --Wayne A. Satz, MD, FAAEM, Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, Medical Director, Temple University Hospital Emergency Department"I took great delight in reviewing Recognizing Celiac Disease by  Cleo Libonati. The book is masterful!  Recognizing Celiac Disease should go  a long way toward increasing celiac awareness and helping folks restore  their health and reclaim their lives.Our goal at the NFCA is to raise awareness and have folks properly  diagnosed.  Cleo has created a comprehensive resource guide to augment our  efforts.  I found it to be a unique resource for understanding celiac  disease.  Not only is Recognizing Celiac Disease an in-depth guide with  current tests for diagnosis and options for management and treatment, but  it also helps alert doctors and other healthcare providers to a multitude  of potential health consequences that may result from undiagnosed celiac  disease and, therefore, continued exposure to gluten. The format is very  easy to use and understandable.  This well-researched reference manual  answers the need for a quick way to access up-to-date information needed to  identify individual symptoms.I definitely will keep a copy right by my desk and recommend Recognizing  Celiac Disease to healthcare professionals and patients alike." --Alice Bast, Founder and Executive Director, National Foundation for Celiac Awareness"It was a pleasure to review `Recognizing Celiac Disease' by Cleo  Libonati.  I found the format `user friendly' for matching symptoms and  related complications of celiac disease an especially valuable resource.  The well constructed appendixes make reference information easy to locate.  The educational aspects of the manual are clear, comprehensive and  complete.  This manual will serve as an excellent informational reference  for our membership, as well as physicians, dietitians and other heath care  professionals. The presentation provides useful, reliable,  easy-to-understand health and diet information to supplement the  information from one's health team.  Cleo Libonati and her manual,  `Recognizing Celiac Disease' has achieved the motto of CSA-`Celiacs Helping  Celiacs' and CSA thanks her for this professional work." --Mary A. Schluckebier, BS, MA, Executive Director, Celiac Sprue Association - USA"Recognizing Celiac Disease is an excellent up to date and most  comprehensive manual that is based on The National Institutes of Health  sponsored Consensus Development Conference of June 2004.This work delivers an overview of celiac disease with a concise picture of  the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnostic tools and treatment  of celiac disease. Most of all, it expands on the nutritional deficiencies  and complications of this disease, emphasizing the dietary management of  these patients.This work will serve as an excellent reference to physicians, medical  students, dietitians, patients and the general public as well." --Kenneth R. Falchuk, MD, Associate Clinical Professor, Harvard Medical School, Senior Gastroenterologist, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center"Recognizing Celiac Disease is well written, accessible and includes an exhaustive and very comprehensive list of symptoms.  Although all of the symptoms listed have been described in association with celiac disease, the reader should also notice that not necessarily all of them are attributable directly to celiac disease as their cause.The work successfully communicates the disease process, scope and multisystem nature of celiac disease as well as addressing treatment of nutritional deficiencies, associated disorders and the many complications of the condition.Recognizing Celiac Disease uses documented medical research to show how seemingly unrelated symptoms in different body systems can stem from celiac disease.Physicians who are not familiar with celiac disease should have this book on their shelves. They will find this reference a practical source of information and an important aid in making a prompt diagnosis and treating their patients.The book is useful for prospective patients to determine whether their complaints are consistent with celiac disease.  It is also an excellent patient resource for self management, especially in identifying ongoing and future health problems related to celiac disease and bringing them to the attention of their physician for proper treatment.Recognizing Celiac Disease is a useful reference that will serve as a helpful tool for health care providers and anyone diagnosed with the disease." --Stefano Guandalini, M.D. Founder and Medical Director, The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center"Recognizing Celiac Disease is well written, accessible and includes an exhaustive and very comprehensive list of symptoms.  Although all of the symptoms listed have been described in association with celiac disease, the reader should also notice that not necessarily all of them are attributable directly to celiac disease as their cause.The work successfully communicates the disease process, scope and multisystem nature of celiac disease as well as addressing treatment of nutritional deficiencies, associated disorders and the many complications of the condition.Recognizing Celiac Disease uses documented medical research to show how seemingly unrelated symptoms in different body systems can stem from celiac disease.Physicians who are not familiar with celiac disease should have this book on their shelves. They will find this reference a practical source of information and an important aid in making a prompt diagnosis and treating their patients.The book is useful for prospective patients to determine whether their complaints are consistent with celiac disease.  It is also an excellent patient resource for self management, especially in identifying ongoing and future health problems related to celiac disease and bringing them to the attention of their physician for proper treatment.Recognizing Celiac Disease is a useful reference that will serve as a helpful tool for health care providers and anyone diagnosed with the disease." --Stefano Guandalini, M.D. Founder and Medical Director, The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center© The Society of Gastroenterology Nurses & Associates 2007. All Rights Reserved. Volume 30(5), September/October 2007, p 387-388  Recognizing Celiac Disease: Signs, Symptoms, Associated Disorders & Complications by C.J. Libonati (2007). Fort Washington, PA: Gluten Free Works Publishing. [Department: Book Review] Gainer, Cheryl L. MSN, CNM, RNCheryl L. Gainer, MSN, CNM, RN, is Clinical Instructor, The University of Texas at Arlington, School of Nursing, Arlington, Texas. Recognizing Celiac Disease: Signs, Symptoms, Associated Disorders & Complications by C.J. Libonati (2007). Fort Washington, PA: Gluten Free Works Publishing.This book is a first for author Cleo J. Libonati. A registered nurse with first-hand knowledge of celiac disease, Libonati takes the reader on a journey that educates and enlightens. This self-published book has a wealth of information useful for those afflicted with celiac disease as well as the healthcare professionals caring for them.The topic of the book is important to all because of the prevalence of celiac disease in the United States. Prevalence studies conducted in the United States demonstrate that 1 in 133 Americans have celiac disease, amounting to a staggering 3 million Americans afflicted with the disorder, yet few are diagnosed. Complicating this picture is the lack of education and general knowledge of the disease among the public, health agencies, and healthcare professionals. In the introduction, Libonati notes that only 48 of the 6,276 papers published on celiac disease in the last 30 years were published in the United States.The book reviews the pathophysiology, symptoms, manifestations, complications, associated disorders, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease. Written in clear concise language that both the layperson and health professional can understand, the book successfully integrates the research data on celiac disease into a useful resource. The print, format, tables, illustrations, and careful citation of research data along with the inclusion of the final statement from the June 2004 National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on Celiac Disease make this text an easy to read resource for those wishing to further their education on celiac disease.The message of the book is especially important for all health professionals specializing in gastroenterology. Although signs, symptoms, and presentation of celiac disease can be different in each individual afflicted, the common denominator is damage to the small bowel. This book provides a useful resource for every health professional associated with a gastroenterology practice and would be a valuable addition to office resources on celiac disease.Recognizing Celiac Disease is very well organized and contains two sections. The first section of the book includes three chapters. Beginning with a discussion of gluten as the environmental trigger for celiac disease, the book takes the reader on a step-by-step journey into understanding the origin, pathophysiology, and symptoms of celiac disease. From definition of the disease to signs, symptoms, diagnostic criteria, and treatment of celiac disease, each chapter gives in-depth, up-to-date information on all aspects of each topic. Of particular interest to gastroenterology health professionals is an overview of the workings of the gastrointestinal tract along with the pathophysiology celiac disease inflicts on the gastrointestinal system. This section is written in a manner that will assist any reader in understanding the multiple presentations and physical manifestations of the disease. Also included in this section are three appendices; "Unsafe Foods and Ingredients," "Gluten-Free Diet Self-Management Three Step Process," and "Sample Foods Commonly Allowed and Not Allowed on a GF Diet." Each appendix is easy to read and understand. Although in-depth resources in themselves, the chapters and appendices include citations of research, articles, and resources utilized in creating each section of the book, providing the reader tools to further his or her knowledge if they so desire. This section also contains a glossary to assist readers unfamiliar with the terminology used in discussions of disease processes and their epidemiology.The second section of the book is unique in that it contains two tables outlining an extensive literature review done by the author. An easy to read explanation on how to use this section of the book assists the reader to fully utilize the extensive amount of information presented in the tables. The first table lists nutritional deficiencies of celiac disease and the second table lists the signs, symptoms, associated disorders, and complications of celiac disease. Both tables are extremely helpful, providing extensive information on the typical and atypical signs and symptoms of the disease. Included in each table is information identifying associated disorders, complications, and whether these improve or do not improve on the gluten-free diet. The tables are a rich resource to understanding the nuances of celiac disease. Although the tables themselves provide a tremendous amount of information, the citations provided in the tables lead the reader to an even larger data base of information regarding all aspects of celiac disease.Finally, the book contains an extensive reference list and index. The reference list is organized by the section of the book in which the sources are cited, and the index is well organized and easily assists readers in finding their desired topic.Recognizing Celiac Disease: Signs, Symptoms, Associated Disorders & Complications certainly lives up to the title. Libonati clearly outlines the extent of the disease and the need for recognizing, diagnosing, and treating celiac disease in the United States. Her book educates the reader not only about the disease process, but addresses treating and recognizing nutritional deficiencies, associated disorders, and the many complications of the disease. Recognizing Celiac Disease should be on the shelf of every family affected by celiac disease as well as the health professionals caring for them. --Gastroenterology Nursing Review, September/October 2007