The AB Design can be used to quickly assess the effects of an experimental variable. Its main disadvantage its inability to distinguish the experimental effect from possible confounds that might occur coincident with the change of condition.
ceÂ·liÂ·ac disÂ·ease. A disease occurring in children and adults characterized by sensitivity to gluten, with chronic inflammation and atrophy of the mucosa of the upper small intestine; manifestations include diarrhea, malabsorption, steatorrhea, and nutritional and vitamin deficiencies.
A person with gluten sensitivity (also known as gluten intolerance) may have symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, or diarrhea, but, because the immune or autoimmune symptoms are not involved, it is not considered as serious a condition as celiac disease or gluten allergy.liadin is also one of the major allergens associated with wheat allergies and a trigger for celiac disease, a serious autoimmune disorder of the small intestine. Unlike a gluten allergy, in which small amounts of gluten may be tolerated, a patient with celiac disease cannot tolerate any gluten at all.