Do I Have Celiac

[Shotzy1313]

thanks

[happygirl]

What bloodwork did you have done that was positive?

A Celiac can range from 100% asymptomatic (silent Celiac) to pretty darn debilitated. Everyone else falls somewhere in the middle...with various (and often contradictory) symptoms. Presence or lack of a symptom doesn't mean you do/don't have it.

"It is not necessarily a diarrheal illness, but a multisystem

disease with the bowel as the target of injury."

"Celiac Disease can have varied modes of presentation, or can even be asymptomatic, making diagnosis more elusive."

Q: What are the symptoms of celiac disease?

The vast majority of individuals with celiac disease have little in the way of gastrointestinal symptoms or have symptoms that may receive a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome. While the classical symptoms include diarrhea, weight loss and edema, other patients may present with constipation, anemia, bone pain or bone loss, chronic fatigue, skin problems, abnormal liver chemistries, dental enamel defects and neurological symptoms such as peripheral neuropathy, ataxia or seizures. Some patients with celiac disease are truly asymptomatic or have symptoms related to an associated autoimmune problem.

Q: Is it ok if I ingest some gluten if I do not experience any symptoms?

No. The majority of patients with celiac disease experience no symptoms when they ingest gluten, either intentionally or unintentionally. This led to the concept that patients, especially children may grow out of the disease. In addition, patients also consider that it is doing no harm to them. However the ingestion of even small amounts of gluten results in damage to the small intestine--regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms--and puts the patient at risk for resulting complications including malignancies and osteoporosis.

(all the above quotes are taken from www.celiacdiseasecenter.columbia.edu)