Nursing care of a patient with celiac disease during hospital treatment

Abstract

Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune disease of the small intestine that occurs after ingesting foods that contain gluten. In hypersensitive people, gluten from food triggers immune reactions and leads to irritation, inflammation and atrophy of the small intestinal mucosa with consequent malabsorption of nutrients. The only proven treatment for celiac disease is a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet. By following a diet, it is possible to effectively control the disease and preserve the quality of life. However, if the condition worsens, health professionals must ensure adequate nutrition during their stay in the hospital, and treatment in accordance with the identified needs. This paper presents the specifics of determining the need for care in patients with celiac disease (nursing history, determination of nutritional status and elimination data). Then, we considered the most common problems in the field of nursing care such as: knowledge deficit, diarrhea and vomiting, high risk of dehydration, malnutrition, risk of inadequate thermoregulation and inefficient health maintenance. Nursing interventions are also presented in order to solve these problems, during the hospital treatment of patients with celiac disease.

Keywords

• celiac disease
• gluten-free diet
• nursing care
• nursing diagnoses