Question: I suffer from celiac sprue. I am a man who is 80. I’ve lost a considerable amount of weight. Can you recommend a treatment?

Dr. Hibberd's answer:
No treatment can cure celiac disease. However, you can effectively manage celiac disease by changing your diet. You need to remove gluten from your diet. It is crucial that you avoid all foods that contain gluten, including wheat-based foods. Consult a dietitian to help you find out what to eat, and what foods to avoid. Look for labels that read “gluten-free” when you shop for groceries. This can begin the healing process that can take several months, or as long as two to three years.
Considering you have lost considerable amount of weight and your advanced age, you can talk to your doctor to take vitamin and mineral supplements. In case, your digestive system cannot absorb these pills, your doctor can shift you to injectable forms of multivitamins. He may also start you on medications to control inflammation in your digestive system until the gluten-free diet begins to show improvement in the sprue.