Found this article on line, what does it mean?

[Linda]

What causes celiac disease?

The destruction of the inner lining of the small intestine in celiac disease is caused by an immunological (allergic) reaction to gluten in the diet that inflames and destroys the inner lining of the small intestine. There is evidence that this reaction is partially genetic and inherited. Thus, approximately 10% of first-degree relatives (parents, siblings or children) of individuals with celiac disease also will have celiac disease. In addition, in approximately 30% of fraternal twins and 70% of identical twins, both twins will have celiac disease. Finally, certain genes have been found to be more common among individuals with celiac disease than among individuals without celiac disease.

The article goes on to describe signs and symptoms, etc. It's rather lengthy, about 12 pages, but what I thought was interesting is that it's (supposedly) from a medical website ( http://www.medicinenet.com/celiac_disease/page2.htm ), yet it refers to the immunological reaction as an allergic reaction. I am sort of interpreting this as saying that Celiac Disease is an allergy to gluten that manifests itself ONLY in the intestines, and not the rest of the body. I always read on the forums that CD is autoimmune, not allergy, and to me, this is implying that they are the same thing. Am I missing something? If someone can interpret allergy vs. autoimmune in laymen's terms, that'd be great.

Thoughts?

Linda