Celiac disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition where eating gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye) triggers an immune response that damages the lining of the small intestine. Over time the damage interferes with how the body absorbs nutrients from food. It is genetic, lifelong, and present in roughly one in a hundred people, though most cases are undiagnosed.

The only medically recognized treatment is a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet. There is no pill, no shot, no short-term course. Even small amounts of gluten (a shared toaster, a contaminated cutting board, a sauce thickened with wheat flour) can re-trigger the immune response in someone with celiac, even if no obvious symptoms follow. The diet is the medicine.

Diagnosis usually happens through a blood test (typically the tTG-IgA antibody) followed by a biopsy of the small intestine that looks for the characteristic damage to the villi. A diagnosis made on blood test alone, without a biopsy, is less complete; some CPAs and tax professionals want the biopsy result as part of the substantiation chain. A diagnosis without either is harder to defend.

For Gluten Hero, the documented diagnosis is the predicate for treating the gluten-free premium as a medical expense on Schedule A. Without the diagnosis the math does not start. With the diagnosis plus a written instruction from the diagnosing physician to follow a gluten-free diet (see clinical letter), the chain holds.

The toggle in Gluten Hero Settings that confirms the diagnosis is the diagnosis attestation. The Reports tab and the year-end export are hidden until attestation is on.

For the four-week post-diagnosis playbook, read Just diagnosed? Start here..