Raising Awareness of Celiac Disease in Primary School Children

Iako su žitarice neophodan dio prehrane, pojedine žitarice mogu negativno utjecati na probavni sustav kod nekih osoba. Razlog tome jest postojanje glutena u pojedinim žitaricama. Za osobe kojima je dijagnosticirana celijakija, gluten može biti izrazito štetan. Obilnije stolice, bljedoća, osip, gubitak apetita i tjelesne težine te nezainteresiranost samo su neki od simptoma celijakije koji se mogu pojaviti u dječjoj ili odrasloj dobi. Kako bi se navedeni simptomi izbjegli, nužno je konzumirati isključivo hranu bez glutena. Ukoliko osobe oboljele od celijakije unesu gluten u svoj organizam, uništavaju se crijevne resice te se smanjuje apsorpcija hranjivih tvari što rezultira pothranjenošću. Dakle, za osobe koje boluju od celijakije, bezglutenska prehrana jedini je lijek. Cilj ovog diplomskog rada jest upoznati učenike s celijakijom (glutenskom enteropatijom) i glutenom kao glavnim uzročnikom ove bolesti. Također, ovim se radom nastoji osvijestiti učenike o posebnim prehrambenim potrebama djeteta s celijakijom i bezglutenskom dijetom kao oblikom prehrane oboljelih. Although cereals are an essential part of the diet, some cereals can negatively affect on digestive system in some people. The reason for this is the existence of gluten in certain cereals. For people who have coeliac disease, gluten can be extremely harmful. Excessive stools, paleness, rash, loss of appetite and weight, and lack of interest are just some of the symptoms of coeliac disease that can occur in childhood or adulthood. To avoid these symptoms, it is necessary to consume only gluten-free foods. If people with celiac disease take gluten into their body, the intestinal villi are destroyed and the absorption of nutrients is reduced, which results in malnutrition. So, for people suffering from celiac disease, a gluten-free diet is the only cure. The aim of this graduate thesis is to introduce students to celiac disease (gluten enteropathy) and gluten as the main cause of this disease. Also, this thesis seeks to make students aware of the special nutritional needs of children with celiac disease and gluten-free diet as a form of nutrition for patients.