Celiac Symptoms and Signs

So what are some signs and symptoms of Celiac Disease? Well, a person may experience digestive signs and symptoms as well as symptoms in other parts of the body. Digestive signs and symptoms are more common in children and can include the following:

• abdominal bloating
• chronic diarrhea
• constipation
• gas
• pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool
• stomach pain
• nausea
• vomiting

Being unable to absorb nutrients during the years when nutrition is critical to a child's normal growth and development can lead to other health problems, such as

• the failure to thrive in infants
• slowed growth and short stature
• weight loss
• irritability or change in mood
• delayed puberty
• dental enamel defects of permanent teeth

Adults are less likely to have digestive signs and symptoms and may instead have one or more of the following:

• anemia
• bone or joint pain
• canker sores inside the mouth
• depression or anxiety
• dermatitis herpetiformis, an itchy, blistering skin rash
• fatigue, or feeling tired
• infertility or recurrent miscarriage
• missed menstrual periods
• seizures
• tingling numbness in the hands and feet
• weak and brittle bones, or osteoporosis
• headaches

Intestinal inflammation can cause other symptoms, such as:

• feeling tired for long periods of time
• abdominal pain and bloating
• ulcers
• blockages in the intestine

Celiac disease can produce an autoimmune reaction, or a self-directed immune reaction, in which a person's immune system attacks healthy cells in the body. This reaction can spread outside of the gastrointestinal tract to affect other areas of the body, including the following:

• spleen
• skin
• nervous system
• bones
• joints

Recognizing celiac disease can be difficult because some of its symptoms are similar to those of other diseases and conditions. Celiac disease can be confused with the following:

• irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• iron-deficiency anemia caused by menstrual blood loss
• lactose intolerance
• inflammatory bowel disease
• diverticulitis
• intestinal infections
• chronic fatigue syndrome

As a result, celiac disease has long been underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. As health care providers become more aware of the many varied symptoms of the disease and reliable blood tests become more available, diagnosis rates are increasing, particularly for adults.

Signs and symptoms of celiac disease vary from person to person because of numerous factors, including:

• the length of time a person was breastfed as an infant; some studies have shown that the longer an infant was breastfed, the later the symptoms of celiac disease appear
• the age a person started eating gluten
• the amount of gluten a person eats
• age—symptoms can vary between young children and adults
• the degree of damage to the small intestine

Some people with celiac disease have no signs or symptoms; however, they can still develop complications of the disease over time. Long-term complications include:

• malnutrition
• liver diseases
• intestinal cancer
• lymphoma

(NDDIC, 2015)

As you can see, the symptoms and signs of Celiac Disease can be varied and depend on several different factors. I you or somebody you know is experiencing any of the symptoms I would highly recommend scheduling an appointment with your health care provider. In my next post I will be discussing the treatment guidelines of Celiac Disease. I’ll see you then!

Works Cited

NDDIC. (2015, June 25). Celiac Disease. Retrieved from The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/celiac-disease/Pages/facts.aspx#diagnosed