Click to play videoNew Delhi: Rohit is only five-years-old and he is already bound by the rules of a regimental diet that denies him that most children his age will find hard to resist including rotis, biscuits, pizzas or burgers.
Rohit suffers from celiac disease. His body is allergic to gluten found in anything made from wheat.
Celiac is an autoimmune disorder wherein the body attacks it’s own tissue making it impossible for the body to absorb any nutrition.
The symptoms of the disease include:
- Fatigue.
- Malnutrition.
- Chronic diarrhoea.
And in the long run it could even lead to Type 1 diabetes or liver cancer.
Rohit is one of the 2000 people in Delhi who have been diagnosed with the disease. He studies from home because his parents feel that sending him to school might make the situation worse.
“We were very shocked when they told us he is allergic to wheat. Wheat is like God. We decided not to admit him in a school because he will share food with other children, which he shouldn't eat there. We want him to grow up and understand the disease that he suffers from,” says Rohit’s father, Ramkishore Vig.
Considered as a western disorder so far, celiac disease has gone undiagnosed in India for years largely due to ignorance.
"We never consider stunted growth or diarrhoea in India. We always dismiss them as something normal. This disease also goes undiagnosed and causes a lifetime of discomfort and problems,” says gastroenterologist, Apollo, Dr Anupam Sibal.
The only cure for celiac disease is to follow a gluten free diet. However there are shops that sell gluten free pasta and biscuits making life a little easier for those who have to live a lifetime without eating many things we take so much for granted.
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