Celiac disease, eating habits and practices and life quality of life

This study presents information on celiac disease and its implications on the eating habits and practices, as well as on the quality of life, of gluten-intolerant patients. Papers published from 1995 to 2006 were searched in the MedLine and SciELO databases. This paper includes important data about this disease, which is considered a public health problem throughout the world. Since it is a disease whose treatment is essentially dietary, therapy during food transition must be well conducted by the dietician in order to improve the patient's adherence to the diet since the introduction of new food practices may mean a rupture with the individual's culture and identity: the diet of each citizen cannot be disconnected from the society in which he or she lives in. In this context, quality of life is included, as quality of life is expected to improve both because of the care provided and because of the public policies for the sector in the areas of health promotion and prevention of diseases. Sanitary surveillance contemplates the activities that are capable of eliminating, reducing or preventing health risks and intervene in the sanitation problems that are secondary to the environment, production and circulation of goods and provision of health-related services. Knowledge about celiac disease in the country is justified because of the need to base food and nutrition policies on the concept of healthy eating, emphasizing a gluten-free diet.