Celiac Disease Symptoms
Celiac disease symptoms are often mistaken for signs related to other conditions. Sometimes, they seem like nothing more than the flu, until they worsen. If you think you may have symptoms of a gluten intolerance, you should visit your doctor for a proper diagnosis.
Learn Celiac Disease Symptoms
Celiac disease may be diagnosed at any time during a person's life. What is celiac disease? Those who have this condition experience a negative reaction when they eat foods containing gluten, such as rye, wheat and other grains. The immune system attacks the gluten consumed, which in turn causes inflammation in the small intestine. However, what this does is cause the small intestine to be nearly unable to absorb nutrients it needs to function properly. When this occurs, you may notice symptoms, including the following:
- Bloating, gas or pain in the abdominal region that is recurring
- Pale and foul smelling stool
- Chronic diarrhea, chronic constipation, or in some cases both occur interchangeably
- Significant weight loss or weight gain that is unexplained
- Anemia, without an explanation from poor diet or other health conditions
- Pain in the joints or in the bones
- Depression, irritability, mood swings that are otherwise unexplained
- A deficiency in Vitamin K
- Missing menstrual periods
- Weakness, the inability to perform tasks, lack of energy, extreme fatigue
- Discoloration of teeth or the loss of enamel
- Infertility in men and women may occur
- Failure to thrive, which occurs in infants
- Growth that is limited or delayed, the delayed onset of puberty can also be an indication
- Canker sores on the interior of the mouth
If you have more than one of these conditions, you may be experiencing celiac disease. The only way to know this, though, is through a formal diagnosis from a doctor. That may involve the doctor obtaining a sample of the tissues of the small intestine and through blood tests.
Could You Have Celiac Disease
After reading through the celiac disease symptoms, you may be wondering if you could have this condition. If you are an adult, the disease can occur after a significant physical event within the last few months, such as after a surgical procedure, severe emotional distress, pregnancy, viral infection or even childbirth. In children, celiac disease displays some common symptoms, including a lack of growth, vomiting, bloating in the abdomen and significant changes in behavior.
In addition to this, if diagnosed with any of the following conditions, you may also have celiac disease:
- Type 1 diabetes
- Chronic fatigue disorder
- Osteoporosis
- Dermatitis herpetiformis
- Thyroid disease
- Fibromyalgia
- IBS
- Eczema
- Peripheral neuropathy
Those who have celiac disease often have other conditions as well. Further, celiac disease can be brought on by or can bring on these conditions in some individuals.
Why Is It Happening
If you are experiencing celiac disease symptoms, check your diet next. Those who have this condition and digest gluten will have reactions. The immune system attacks the gluten and in the process damages the villi of the small intestine. The villi are small, hair like projections that come off the walls of the small intestine. The job of the villi is to absorb nutrients from your food as it digests.
When your body cannot get the nutrients it needs because the villi have been damaged, the lack of nutrition can lead to health complications such as those listed here. Villi are responsible for absorbing a variety of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and proteins. The longer the celiac disease goes untreated, the worse the damage and the more difficult it is for your body to absorb the nutrients you need.
This leads to iron deficiency, Vitamin K deficiencies, neurological manifestations, pancreatic problems, the early onset of conditions such as osteoporosis and many others. In some cases, a person may be eating what they believe to be a very healthy diet though their body is unable to use any of those nutrients because of damage done to the villi.
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