How Early Can You Diagnose Celiac Disease?

This is how I feel with my kids. I recognize my pain in them and feel no need to put them through what I went through for so long. Thank you, for making me feel supported in my stance.

My youngest son was diagnosed at 19 months old with blood tests and endoscope. He had symptoms much earlier and unfortunately took 6 months to diagnose. My middle child was diagnosed shortly after at the age of 10 with DH and celiac disease. He had symptoms for over 6 years but thought it was anxiety, stress and eczema. Thank goodness my youngest present with failure to thrive. This was over 16 years ago.

I love the awareness this article is placing on the fact that we shouldn't suffer waiting for enough damage to get a diagnosis! Both my husband and I were diagnosed with celiac. I have 2 celiac genes and he has one. With this knowledge we made the decision to take out 2 sons gluten free to see if it would help some of their health issues. Within 3 weeks we noticed a drastic difference in both of them. I don't feel the need to get a diagnosis for them or to continue to make them suffer. I hope that we have saved them from some of the damage we both endured.

I did not like the use of the words "highly" and "extreme" just because her mother has celiac disease. Just because you have the gene does not mean that you will develop the disease.

I didn't wait for a diagnisis. I have celiac and my husband has gluten intolerance. We were already a gluten-free household, why wait? He won't miss what he never had!

She is right. My son had to wait and he was diagnosed at 15. His villi was already destroyed. This was found on a biopsy. Don't wait now he's 30 and gluten free diet but on disability. He only weighs 90 lbs. He has little strength and probably will never know what its like to be married and have children. He doesn't have any friends since he is to weak to go out most of the time. I feel bad for him but the doctors wouldn't listen to us when we told them he was having stomach pain when he ate bread products. Stand your ground and demand help. Also they can develop other problems such as immune problems.

First off, three cheers for such a caring doctor! Another consideration might be how long it can take for damaged tissue to heal after celiac disease has taken hold. By the time I received a diagnosis, my intestines were a wreck. Although subsequent blood tests showed that I was doing an excellent job on my gluten-free diet, I still had considerable damage after a full year. I spent two years on a very strict low FODMAP diet before my bowels were finally back to normal, and am still cautious about consuming more than the smallest amount of FODMAP foods. Why put a child through that?

My daughter had non-specific but suggestive blood work and not enough intestinal damage to diagnose her as celiac. We were given the option of taking her off gluten (although I believe the doctor would have said it was his recommendation if it wasn't such a gray area) and it is the best move we have made. I think that parents should be encouraged to help make their kids better even without a diagnosis. I think doctors should not be pushed into reaching a diagnosis before suggesting a gluten-free diet. If the diet doesn't help, it definitely won't hurt.

Great article. Thank you. I was diagnosed 5 years ago and I have a 8 year old son. So far he seems fine. This article makes me feel more informed when talking to doctors in the future.

She is right. My son had to wait and he was diagnosed at 15. His villi was already destroyed. This was found on a biopsy. Don't wait now he's 30 and gluten free diet but on disability. He only weighs 90 lbs. He has little strength and probably will never know what its like to be married and have children. He doesn't have any friends since he is to weak to go out most of the time. I feel bad for him but the doctors wouldn't listen to us when we told them he was having stomach pain when he ate bread products. Stand your ground and demand help. Also they can develop other problems such as immune problems.

Diane, if your son is still underweight and and ill after 15 years on a gluten-free diet, I'd suspect either he is still getting gluten in his diet (or from some other source) or some other medical problem is at play here. I hope you'll consider looking into this further. Celiac disease should not be a lifetime disability when it's diagnosed, and ordinarily the damaged gut repairs itself (especially in a teenager). At minimum, have another blood test and possibly a biopsy done. See a dietitian as well as consider what non-dietary sources of gluten he may be exposed to.

Some authorities are saying we should not eat any grains as they are all from the grass family. I am going to try to do it. I was diagnosed by DNA a year ago and have been gluten-free since. I do not find it especially difficult. It is certainly an easy way to discover if your symptoms will go away. For many who have no symptoms, this would be a choice. People should look at their family history. Celiac or gluten sensitivity shows up in mine from this perspective. Good article. Thanks.

Thank you for this great article! I carry DQ2 and was tested positive for IgG-AGA, but gastroscopies were normal and I therefore don't get the benefits that Celiac disease patients are entitled to in my country. My daughter who turned three last Sunday constantly complains of belly pain. She has a "big distended tummy" and is very cranky. Even her kindergarten friends ask why she is always crying. At kindergarten, the children are served pasta (or pizza) and white bread every day. Last week, I asked my daughter's pediatrician (here in Italy) if she could do the Celiac disease screening, and I was told that it is only done if there are clinical signs of Celiac disease. This was after I had told her all of the above. It is so sad that so many children (and adults) have to suffer because of the "sacredness" of wheat. (Several adult friends who are clearly sensitive to gluten have received the diagnosis of "yeast allergy", instead, and continue to be sick and anemic).