Could My Niece Have Celiac Disease?

[bibih]

hello,

I am not a mom of a child with celiac disease but my sister suspects that her 3 year old daughter may have it. Since she was a baby she has suffered from eczema, at times quite badly. She is also terribly allergic to eggs, she can't even touch the shells. But recently my sister has noted, that her stomach is becoming somewhat distended, she has diarrahea, and sometimes her stools look like undigested food. She also craves bread and wants to eat it all the time. She has also been complaining of a pain in her stomach. Is it possible that she has celiac disease? And is there a link between eczema and celiac disease?

My sister is bringing her to the Specialist this week, but I thought I would post and maybe get some advice.

[Lily]

Hi,

It definitely sounds like a possibility in regards to your niece. You have found a great site to look up information on this subject. One of the common descriptions of Celiac's is that they look like the starving children who have bloated stomachs, although it is definitely not always the case. The undigested food in her stool is another symptom. There are so many symptoms which vary from person to person, but the Dr. can start checking it out with a simple blood test and testing her for the gliaden antibodies. I wish you all much luck in getting the little one healthy again.

Lily

[Connie R-E]

I agree.

"...She also craves bread and wants to eat it all the time. She has also been complaining of a pain in her stomach." Sounds like she should be tested for celiac!

Celiacs often have a skin condition known as Dermatitus Herpetiformis. Use that as a buzz word for the specialist. Maybe she could be checked for that--it's a sure fire way to diagnose celiac.

Good luck!

Connie