Hi, How do people get Celiac disease? And why does the gluten damage their gut? Thanks.

Question: Hi, How do people get Celiac disease? And why does the gluten damage their gut? Thanks.
- Keywords:
  disease,
  health,
  human
Asked by to Amelia on 18 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
- Amelia Frizell-Armitage answered on 18 Mar 2014:
  
  Hello!
  
  Coeliac’s disease is an autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system, which usually keeps you healthy by attacking bacteria and viruses, starts attacking the wrong thing. I guess you could think of it as your immune system gone a bit wrong.
  
  The immune system of someone with Coeliac’s disease mistakenly thinks that gluten is a threat to their body, so attacks the gluten. By doing this it damages the intestines at the same time. Once a person’s intestines are damaged they are no longer able to absorb nutrients from food properly and can get very ill.
  
  If someone with Coeliac’s disease stops eating gluten their intestines are able to recover over time and they can get better.
  
  No one really knows yet what it is that makes some people’s immune systems behave in this way but at the moment scientists think it is a combination of your genes and your environment.

Question: Hi, How do people get Celiac disease? And why does the gluten damage their gut? Thanks.