Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards

Symptoms

Because celiac disease affects different people differently, symptoms and their severity can vary. Some symptoms may not seem related to the digestive system, but lack of nutrients can affect every part of the body.

Children generally develop symptoms only after they start eating foods that contain gluten. Common symptoms include:

Upset stomach
Failure to grow normally (often called "failure to thrive") or delayed growth
Weight loss
Painful abdominal bloating or distention
Pale, foul-smelling, greasy stools
Chronic (long-lasting) or recurring diarrhea
Irritability
In adults, symptoms may be mild or severe and can include:

Chronic diarrhea that does not get better with medication
Foul-smelly, greasy, pale stool
Gassiness
Recurring abdominal bloating
Weight loss
Fatigue
Infertility, lack of menstruation
Bone or joint pain
Depression, irritability or mood changes
Neurological problems, including weakness, poor balance, seizures, headaches, or numbness or tingling in the legs
Itchy, painful skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis)
Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel, sores on lips or tongue
Other signs of vitamin deficiency, such as scaly skin or hyperkeratosis (from lack of vitamin A), or bleeding gums or bruising easily (from lack of vitamin K)
Diagnosis

Celiac disease often is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms can be similar to those of other, more common diseases and may involve many parts of the body. In most cases, diagnostic tests for other gastrointestinal disorders will be ordered first to look for other, more common causes of diarrhea and other symptoms before celiac disease is considered.

If your doctor suspects celiac disease, he or she may recommend a biopsy of the intestine. In this test, a tiny piece of tissue is removed and examined under a microscope. The physician will look for damage to the tiny villi, which will appear flatter or more stunted than villi taken from a healthy intestine. He or she also will look for inflammatory cells often found beneath abnormal villi.

Blood tests to look for specific antibodies (anti-gliadin, anti-endomysial and anti-tissue transglutaminase) are very accurate for diagnosing celiac disease because these antibodies often are found in people with the disorder and rarely are found in healthy people. Because many people with celiac disease also have anemia, blood tests for iron deficiency also may be done.

The diagnosis can be confirmed based on the results of the biopsy and blood tests, as well as whether your condition improves when you avoid gluten.

Expected Duration

Celiac disease will last as long as you continue to eat gluten. If a person with celiac disease follows a strict gluten-free diet, the intestines can heal and the disease can be controlled.

Prevention

Because celiac disease is a genetic disorder, you cannot do anything to prevent it. Some studies suggest that if celiac disease runs in your family, you may be able to prevent or lessen the effects of the disease in your children by breastfeeding for as long as possible.

Symptoms and intestinal damage in a person diagnosed with celiac disease can be prevented by following a strict, gluten-free diet.

I got this info. from:
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/9681.html#symptoms

P.S. This site is a bit behind the times. Many folks with celiac (I have not been diagnosed but I can't eat ANY gluten or I get VERY sick), have C not D. There are tons of symptoms they don't list there.

But everyone knows BLOATING and emotional outbursts are MAJOR symptoms of celaic. If I eat gluten...watch out. I'm an emotional basket case!

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Formerly known as Ruchie

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