What are the symptoms of celiac disease?

Celiac disease affects people differently. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system, or in other parts of the body. For example, one person might have diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another person may be irritable or depressed. In fact, irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children.

Symptoms of celiac disease may include one or more of the following:

  • Abdominal bloating and pain
  • Behavioral changes
  • Bone or joint pain
  • Chronic diarrhea
  • Constipation
  • Delayed growth
  • Depression
  • Failure to thrive in infants
  • Fatigue
  • Gas
  • Itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis
  • Migraine headaches
  • Missed menstrual periods (often because of excessive weight loss)
  • Infertility, recurrent miscarriage
  • Muscle cramps
  • Osteoporosis, osteopenia
  • Pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool
  • Pale sores inside the mouth, called aphthous ulcers
  • Seizures
  • Tingling numbness in the legs (from nerve damage)
  • Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel
  • Unexplained anemia (a low count of red blood cells causing fatigue)
  • Weight loss/weight gain

A person with celiac disease may have no symptoms. People without symptoms are still at risk for the complications of celiac disease, including malnutrition. The longer a person goes undiagnosed and untreated, the greater the chance of developing malnutrition and other complications. Anemia, delayed growth, and weight loss are signs of malnutrition: The body is just not getting enough nutrients. Malnutrition is a serious problem for children because they need adequate nutrition to develop properly.

Why are celiac disease symptoms so varied?
Researchers are studying the reasons celiac disease affects people differently. Some people develop symptoms as children, others as adults. Some people with celiac disease may not have typical symptoms (40%), while others may not know that their symptoms are from celiac disease.The length of time a person is breastfed, the age a person started eating gluten containing foods, and the amount of gluten-containing foods one eats are three factors thought to play a role in when and how celiac disease appears. Some studies have shown, for example, that the longer a person was breastfed, the later the symptoms of celiac disease appear and the more uncommon the symptoms.

Another problem is there are estimated to be 250 varied symptoms relating to celiac disease and many of these symptoms mimic other diseases. A decade ago, celiac disease was thought to be a rare occurance in the US but through the research and diligence of physicians and the major celiac research facilities, that myth has been dispelled. Some physicians are still unaware of the range of symptoms. Many specialists don't think of celiac disease when symptoms occur outside the digestive system.

In the US: 1:133 = 1% of the population. It is estimated that 3 million people have celiac disease, and yet 97% remain undiagnosed!

It's a matter of awareness.