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  • Scott Adams
    Scott Adams

    What Are the Symptoms of Celiac Disease?

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Symptoms may be common in some people, but totally absent in others.

    What Are the Symptoms of Celiac Disease? - Image: CC--Nick Spacee
    Caption: Image: CC--Nick Spacee

    Celiac.com 02/27/2019 - Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition with numerous symptoms, and associated conditions. People with celiac disease often have gastrointestinal symptoms, including upset stomach, abdominal pain, gas, bloating, indigestion, and diarrhea. Some suffer from many of these on a regular basis.

    However, many people show few or no symptoms. No single set of signs or symptoms is typical for everyone with celiac disease. Signs and symptoms can vary greatly from person to person.

    Symptoms of Celiac Disease Fall Into 7 Major Categories

    1. Digestive symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and steatorrhea (fatty stools);
    2. Non-digestive symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, anemia, weight loss, malnutrition, delayed growth, irritability, depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment;
    3. Dermatological symptoms such as skin rash, itching, blistering, and dermatitis herpetiformis;
    4. Musculoskeletal symptoms such as joint pain, muscle pain, muscle cramps, and osteoporosis;
    5. Neurological symptoms such as headache, migraine, ataxia, neuropathy, seizures, and cognitive impairment;
    6. Reproductive symptoms such as infertility, menstrual irregularities, and recurrent miscarriage.
    7. No obvious symptoms or asymptomatic;

    Symptoms Can Vary Between Children and Adults

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
    The signs and symptoms of celiac disease can vary greatly and are different in children and adults. The most common signs for adults are diarrhea, fatigue and weight loss. Adults may also experience bloating and gas, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, and vomiting. Many symptoms caused by celiac disease are the result of nutritional deficiencies caused by flattened villi and subsequent malabsorption. 

    Symptoms in Children

    Children under 2 years old celiac symptoms often include vomiting, chronic diarrhea, failure to thrive, muscle wasting, poor appetite, and swollen belly. Older children may experience diarrhea, constipation, weight loss, irritability, short stature, delayed puberty, and neurological symptoms, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, headaches, lack of muscle coordination and seizures

    Vague Symptoms Can Delay Celiac Diagnosis

    It is not uncommon for symptoms of celiac disease to be vague or confusing. Vague or confusing symptoms can include dental enamel defects, bone disorders like osteoporosis, depression, irritability, joint pain, mouth sores, muscle cramps, skin rash, stomach discomfort, and even neuropathy, often experienced as tingling in the legs and feet. 

    To make matters more challenging, celiac symptoms can also mimic symptoms of other diseases, such as anemia, Crohns disease, gastric ulcers, irritable bowel, parasitic infection, even various skin disorders or nervous conditions. Vague or confusing symptoms can delay celiac disease diagnosis.

    Signs and Symptoms of Celiac Disease

    • Abdominal cramps, gas and bloating
    • Acne
    • Anemia
    • Ataxia (gluten ataxia)
    • Borborygmi—stomach rumbling
    • Coetaneous bleeding
    • Delayed puberty
    • Dental enamel defects
    • Diarrhea
    • Dry skin
    • Easy bruising
    • Epistaxis—nose bleeds
    • Eczema
    • Failure to thrive or short stature
    • Fatigue or general weakness
    • Flatulence
    • Fluid retention
    • Folic acid deficiency
    • Foul-smelling yellow or grayish stools that are often fatty or oily
    • Gastrointestinal symptoms
    • Gastrointestinal hemorrhage
    • General malaise, feeling unwell
    • Hematuria—red urine
    • Hypocalcaemia/hypomagnesaemia
    • Infertility, or recurrent miscarriage
    • Iron deficiency anemia
    • Joint Pain
    • Lymphocytic gastritis
    • Malabsorption
    • Malnutrition
    • Muscle weakness
    • Muscle wasting
    • Nausea
    • Obesity/Overweight
    • Osteoporosis
    • Pallor—pale, unhealthy appearance
    • Panic Attacks
    • Peripheral neuropathy
    • Psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression
    • Skin Problems—acne, eczema, DH, dry skin 
    • Stunted growth in children
    • Underweight
    • Vertigo
    • Vitamin A deficiency
    • Vitamin B6 deficiency
    • Vitamin B12 deficiency
    • Vitamin D deficiency
    • Vitamin K deficiency
    • Vomiting
    • Voracious appetite
    • Weight loss/gain
    • Zinc deficiency

    Conditions Associated with Celiac Disease

    People with one or more of these associated conditions are at higher risk for celiac disease:

    • Addison's Disease 
    • Anemia 
    • Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia 
    • Arthritis 
    • Asthma 
    • Ataxia, Nerve Disease, Neuropathy, Brain Damage 
    • Attention Deficit Disorder 
    • Autism 
    • Bacterial Overgrowth 
    • Cancer, Lymphoma 
    • Candida Albicans 
    • Canker Sores—Aphthous Stomatitis) 
    • Casein / Cows Milk Intolerance 
    • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 
    • Cognitive Impairment 
    • Crohn's Disease 
    • Depression 
    • Dermatitis Herpetiformis
    • Diabetes 
    • Down Syndrome 
    • Dyspepsia, Acid Reflux
    • Eczema
    • Epilepsy 
    • Eye Problems, Cataract 
    • Fertility, Pregnancy, Miscarriage 
    • Fibromyalgia 
    • Flatulence—Gas 
    • Gall Bladder Disease 
    • Gastrointestinal Bleeding 
    • Geographic Tongue—Glossitis 
    • Growth Hormone Deficiency 
    • Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
    • Heart Failure 
    • Infertility, Impotency 
    • Inflammatory Bowel Disease 
    • Intestinal Permeability 
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome 
    • Kidney Disease 
    • Liver and biliary tract disorders (transaminitis, fatty liver, primary sclerosing cholangitis, etc.)
    • Low bone density
    • Lupus 
    • Malnutrition, Body Mass Index 
    • Migraine Headaches 
    • Multiple Sclerosis 
    • Myasthenia Gravis Celiac Disease
    • Obesity, Overweight 
    • Osteopenia, osteoporosis, osteomalacia 
    • Psoriasis 
    • Refractory Celiac Disease & Collagenous Sprue
    • Sarcoidosis 
    • Scleroderma 
    • Schizophrenia / Mental Problems 
    • Sepsis 
    • Sjogrens Syndrome 
    • Sleep Disorders 
    • Thrombocytopenic Purpura 
    • Thyroid & Pancreatic Disorders 
    • Tuberculosis 

    Nutritional Deficiencies Associated with Celiac Disease and their Related Clinical Manifestations

    Nutritional deficiency
    Most frequent signs and symptoms
    Iron
    Hypochromic, microcytic anemia, glossitis, koilonychia, fatigue, pallor, cognitive impairment
    Folate
    Megaloblastic anemia, glossitis, diarrhea, cognitive impairment
    Vitamin B12
    Megaloblastic anemia, posterior columns syndrome, dementia, depression, psychosis
    Vitamin D
    Osteomalacia (deformity of bone, pathologic fractures), osteoporosis, cognitive impairment, secondary hyperparathyroidism
    Zinc
    Growth retardation, hypogonadism, infertility, dysgueusia, poor wound healing, diarrhea, dermatitis on the extremities and periorificial, glossitis, alopecia, corneal clouding
    Less frequently occurring
    Protein
    Edema, muscular atrophy
    Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
    Irritability, fatigue, headaches, peripheral neuropathy, wet Beriberi: congestive heart failure; Wernicke: nystagmus, ophtalmoplegia, ataxia; Korsakoff: hallucinations, impaired short-term memory and confabulation
    Vitamin B3 (niacin)
    Pellagra: diarrhea, dementia, pigmented dermatitis; Glossitis, stomatitis, vaginitis, vertigo, burning dysesthesias
    Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
    Stomatitis, angular cheilosis, glossitis, irritability, depression, confusion, normochromic normocytic anemia
    Vitamin A
    Follicular hyperkeratosis, night blindness, conjunctival xerosis, keratomalacia
    Vitamin E
    Hemolytic anemia, peripheral neuropathies, ophtalmoplegia, posterior columns syndrome
    Vitamin K
    Easy bleeding

     

    Top Scientific References on Celiac Symptoms



    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Celiacfighter
    On 3/31/2008 at 12:00 PM, Guest Linda said:

    How in God's name do you get through to people that this is NOT a joke, it's NOT just a tummy ache, and it's NOT in your head? As if I would be wasting time & money eating such a bloody expensive & inconvenient diet! Thanks for the DDX list. By the way, for some of us, it's severe constipation w/severe inflammation and other fun things like fistulas.

    Bless you!! 👌👌, My GP said it was in my head.

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    trents
    8 minutes ago, Celiacfighter said:

    Bless you!! 👌👌, My GP said it was in my head.

    Yes, many of us suffer from migraines. 

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    Marjorie Pezlady

    In the past two years if I eat a very small amount of gluten I develop a fever of 2-3 degrees and also bone-rattling chills.  I can’t find this symptom anywhere. It lasts perhaps 8 hours. Then about three days of intestinal issues. Anyone else experience a fever?

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    Scott Adams

    Fevers would be an unusual symptom, but others have reported them as a symptom:

     

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    OwlDarling

    Ok so I have Celiac Disease. Just found out in the last few days.

    There are another 2 symptoms/complications to add to the list. Bipolar Disorder & Restless Leg Syndrome. 

    I have loads of the other symptoms/complications of it as well. 

    I'm 51yo this year & have been ill since I was a toddler when the epilepsy kicked in. 

    I'm astounded that this isn't tested as a rule of thumb with the medical industry. It should be tested for when kids are young. That would save them a lifetime of illness & complications. 

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    Scott Adams

    Yes, in many instances of disorders that are related to celiac disease there is a recommendation to screen for celiac disease, for example if you have thyroid or liver issues, but unfortunately most doctors don't routinely test for it.

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    OwlDarling
    25 minutes ago, Scott Adams said:

    Yes, in many instances of disorders that are related to celiac disease there is a recommendation to screen for celiac disease, for example if you have thyroid or liver issues, but unfortunately most doctors don't routinely test for it.

    I definitely think the govt's should make a celiac blood test as standard checks for all children once they're eating solid foods.

    Both my daughter & my granddaughter had/have issues of being in extreme pain prior to a bowel movement. I think this can probably be classed as a 1st recognisable symptom. We actually thought maybe there was a deformity in our digestive tracts that was hereditary. 

    My granddaughter in 9 months old and already showing symptoms. Both are now organising tests from the Dr. 

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    AnonyousCda
    5 hours ago, OwlDarling said:

    Ok so I have Celiac Disease. Just found out in the last few days.

    There are another 2 symptoms/complications to add to the list. Bipolar Disorder & Restless Leg Syndrome. 

    I have loads of the other symptoms/complications of it as well. 

    I'm 51yo this year & have been ill since I was a toddler when the epilepsy kicked in. 

    I'm astounded that this isn't tested as a rule of thumb with the medical industry. It should be tested for when kids are young. That would save them a lifetime of illness & complications. 

    I agree on the testing.  Colorado is doing test project.  

    Best thing to do is not eat gluten, up take vitamins, minerals, amino acids.  Don't take opioids.  Good stomach flora berberine supplement is looking good.  Yeah, the bipolar highs and lows is severe. 

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    trents

    test

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    Posterboy
    On 5/12/2021 at 5:38 PM, OwlDarling said:

    I'm 51yo this year & have been ill since I was a toddler when the epilepsy kicked in. 

    Owl Darling,

    I just wanted to say the Epilepsy can be triggered by low Manganese and/or Low Thiamine Levels.

    Here is the research on How an Infantile Thiamine deficiency can trigger Epilepsy.

    Open Original Shared Link

    See also this great thread started by Knitty Kitty on the all benefits of taking Thiamine.
     

    Find you a fat soluble form like Benfotiamine, Allithiamine or Lipothiamine.

    Take it (your fat Soluble B1) with a Magnesium Glycinate and/or Magnesium Citrate and a B-Complex with meals and I think you will notice a difference in 3 or 4 months...

    I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advice.

    Posterboy,

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    OwlDarling
    On 5/15/2021 at 10:55 PM, Posterboy said:

    Owl Darling,

    I just wanted to say the Epilepsy can be triggered by low Manganese and/or Low Thiamine Levels.

    Here is the research on How an Infantile Thiamine deficiency can trigger Epilepsy.

    Open Original Shared Link

    See also this great thread started by Knitty Kitty on the all benefits of taking Thiamine.
     

    Find you a fat soluble form like Benfotiamine, Allithiamine or Lipothiamine.

    Take it (your fat Soluble B1) with a Magnesium Glycinate and/or Magnesium Citrate and a B-Complex with meals and I think you will notice a difference in 3 or 4 months...

    I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advice.

    Posterboy,

    Will definitely look into that. 

    Actually can anyone help with a bit of advice. What is the quickest way to stop a cileac attack? I'm exhausted after having acute stomach pain 9/10 on the unbearable pain meter as well as severe diarrhoea which ended up with blood in it and an emergency call to the Dr. 

    So far it's lasted for 4hrs. I ate chicken & chips so don't understand how it could have happened. Could it be the potatoes? I know it's not the chicken. 

    This is the worst its been yet & I'm newly diagnosed so my stomach is still in really bad shape after 50yrs undiagnosed. 

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    Scott Adams

    If you've been glutened this article might be helpful:

     

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  • About Me

    Scott Adams

    Scott Adams was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1994, and, due to the nearly total lack of information available at that time, was forced to become an expert on the disease in order to recover. In 1995 he launched the site that later became Celiac.com to help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed so they can begin to live happy, healthy gluten-free lives.  He is co-author of the book Cereal Killers, and founder and publisher of the (formerly paper) newsletter Journal of Gluten Sensitivity. In 1998 he founded The Gluten-Free Mall which he sold in 2014. Celiac.com does not sell any products, and is 100% advertiser supported.


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