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What are the Symptoms of Celiac Disease?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Worried you might have Celiac Disease? Unlike many other diseases, food allergies, and/or food intolerances, Celiac Disease does not have a few standard symptoms you can easily look for. That is why it often takes an average of 5 years before receiving a correct celiac diagnosis.

Currently, there are two ways to know that you have Celiac Disease. The first and recommended method is to talk to your doctor about getting tested (which usually involves a simple blood test and/or an endoscopy). The second option is the new Celiac Home Test Kit, which allows anyone to take the initial blood test from home, then consult their doctor with the results.

With that said, you may be wondering what symptoms you should be experiencing before discussing the possibility of Celiac with your doctor. Here is some general information about Celiac Disease symptoms that you will hopefully find useful.

Adult Celiac Disease Symptoms

Celiac Disease may appear at any time in a person’s life. In fact, recent studies support that it may even be more common in the elderly, or anyone that has experienced a life-altering event. The disease can also be triggered for the first time after surgery, a simple viral infection, severe emotional stress, pregnancy, or childbirth.

Celiac Disease is a multi-system, multi-symptom disorder and symptoms in adults are extremely varied. Symptoms can even mimic other bowel disorders and are not always gastrointestinal. (For example, adults with Celiac Disease are often originally misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome prior to receiving a correct diagnosis.)

Children’s Celiac Disease Symptoms

Infants, toddlers, and young children most commonly exhibit growth failure, vomiting, a bloated abdomen, and behavioral changes.

General Symptoms of Celiac Disease May Include One or More of the Following:

  • Recurring bloating, gas, or abdominal pain
  • Chronic diarrhea or constipation or both
  • Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
  • Pale, foul-smelling stool
  • Unexplained anemia
  • Bone or joint pain
  • Behavior changes/depression/irritability
  • Vitamin K Deficiency
  • Fatigue, weakness or lack of energy
  • Delayed growth or onset of puberty
  • Failure to thrive (in infants)
  • Missed menstrual periods
  • Infertility male & female
  • Spontaneous miscarriages
  • Canker sores inside the mouth
  • Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel

In addition to the above symptoms, there are also a few situations where a child should be tested for Celiac Disease:

Have You or a Family Member Been Diagnosed With the Following?

  • Type 1 Diabetes
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Fibromyalgia
  • IBS
  • Eczema
  • Sjogren’s Syndrome
  • Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Thyroid Disease
  • Osteoporosis
  • Dermatitis Herpetiformis (see below)

Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH) Skin Rash

Dermatitis Herpetiformis is the skin manifestation of celiac disease characterized by blistering and intensely itchy skin. The rash has a symmetrical distribution and is most frequently found on the face, elbows, knees, and buttocks. DH patients can also have gastrointestinal damage without perceptible symptoms. If you believe you may have DH, please consult your doctor about being tested for Celiac Disease.

What are the Causes of Celiac Disease?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

The cause of Celiac Disease (also known as celiac sprue or gluten-sensitive enteropathy) is currently unknown, however, research indicates that Celiac Disease is strongly associated with a group of genes on Chromosome 6.  These genes (HLA class II) are involved in the regulation of the body’s immune response to gluten protein fractions.

Recent studies have shown that an amazing 1 out of 133 people in the United States suffers from Celiac Disease!  Studies have also shown that Celiac occurs in 5-15% of the offspring and siblings of a person with Celiac Disease.  Research also suggests that in 70% of identical twins, both twins have the disease. It is strongly suggested that family members be tested, even if asymptomatic. Family members who have an autoimmune disease are at a 25% increased risk of having Celiac Disease.

For additional information, check out our Celiac Information page!

Celiacs Need to Know About the Hepatitis B Vaccine

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Based upon the nature of Celiac Disease and its relationship with the immune system, it seems that some people with Celiac Disease are not adequately protected by the Hepatitis B vaccine.  Here is an excerpt from About.com’s post:

When you receive the hepatitis B vaccine series, your immune system is supposed to respond by producing antibodies to the hepatitis B virus. In addition, some of the immune cells that are involved in the body’s response to the vaccine become what’s known as “memory cells.” Many studies have shown, however, that in patients with celiac disease, the vaccine does not always produce adequate (or “protective”) levels of antibodies or memory cells.

Click over to check out the rest of the post.

Will We Soon Have Gluten-Free Wheat?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

This is something I had never considered before, but it looks like gluten-free wheat may be on the way. According to Washington State University, scientists are working on developing gluten-free wheat for people with Celiac Disease.

Here is an excerpt from their post:

Thanks to the research of Diter von Wettstein and a new grant of nearly $1 million from the National Institutes of Health, millions of people around the world suffering from Celiac disease have new reasons for hope.

Dr. von Wettstein, who is R.A. Nilan Distinguished Professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Washington State University, will use the four-year, $837,000 NSF grant to advance his research to develop gluten-free wheat varieties safe to eat by people with Celiac disease.

NIH has declared urgency
“Medical experts at the National Institutes of Health have declared urgency in dealing with the most food-sensitive intestinal condition in humans, and require faster and more decisive methods such as transgenic breeding,” Dr. Von Wettstein said.

Dr. Von Wettstein, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and his team have discovered a fully viable, lysine-rich mutant which lacks gliadin-type proteins in barley, showing the way to make Celiac-safe wheat. Lysine is an amino acid essential for an optimal diet, but typically deficient in wheat.

What Does Gluten-Free Mean?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Have you ever heard of someone mentioning they were on a gluten-free diet, but it didn’t look like they needed to lose weight? Or maybe you know someone who rarely eats in public? Even if neither of these applies to you, each day the odds improve that you will come across the term gluten-free Diet.

So, what exactly does it mean to be on a gluten-free diet? Typically this diet is associated with treating people that have Celiac Disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small bowel that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy.  While difficult to diagnose, each day doctors are correctly diagnosing more people with the disease based on their Celiac symptoms.  Treatment of the disease typically involves being on a gluten-free diet.

What foods contain gluten?

A gluten-free diet is a diet completely free of ingredients derived from gluten-containing foods: wheat (including Kamut and spelt), barley, rye, oats, and triticale, as well as the use of gluten as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent. Although most patients can tolerate oat products, there is a controversy about including them in a gluten-free diet: some medical practitioners say they may be permitted, but the Celiac Society advises against them.

What foods are gluten-free?

Several grains and starch sources are considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet. The most frequently used are maize (corn), potatoes, rice, and tapioca (derived from cassava). Other grains and starch sources generally considered suitable for gluten-free diets include amaranth, arrowroot, millet, montina, lupine, quinoa, sorghum (jowar), sweet potato, taro, teff, and yam. Various types of bean, soybean, and nut flours are sometimes used in gluten-free products to add protein and dietary fiber. In spite of its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat; pure buckwheat is considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet, although many commercial buckwheat products are actually mixtures of wheat and buckwheat flours, and thus not acceptable. Gram flour, derived from chickpeas, is also gluten-free.

Gluten is also used in foods in some unexpected ways, for example as a stabilizing agent or thickener in products like ice cream and ketchup

People wishing to follow a completely gluten-free diet must also take into consideration the ingredients of any over-the-counter or prescription medications and vitamins. Also, cosmetics such as lipstick, lip balms, and lip chap may contain gluten and need to be investigated before use.

Living on a gluten-free diet

People diagnosed with Celiac Disease will often become anti-social, preferring the comfort of their own cooking over the hassle of trying to find gluten-free foods out in the world. This also reduces the risk of cross-contamination, which is always something people on the diet need to be wary of.

As more people are either diagnosed with Celiac Disease or know someone who is, things have steadily been improving for people who want to become more social.

If you would like to find tasty and affordable gluten-free products online, Gluten-Free Resource recommends the products available at Gluten-Free Mall. I’ve purchased from all three and really enjoy the foods and products they offer.