Is Celiac Disease Congenital?

[driedupfish]

Is Celiac a disease that someone is born with or someone can get it at any time during their life?

Another question: for those who have short-stature as a result of malnutrition from Celiac, do they usually have proportional body, but short? Or do they have short limbs, normal trunk, or short trunk, normal size limbs?

Thanks

[ravenwoodglass]

Celiac is gnentic but not usually congenital. Congenital diseases are present and effecting the body at birth. The genes are present from birth but the disease can appear at any time. There are a few of us who were celiac at birth but celiac usually rears it's head after a severe illness or physical or mental stress.

As for the stunting. It depends on when celiac hits. Some will be of normal height and proportions, some celiacs will just be small with normal proportions, some will have a shortened trunk (like myself), some will have shortened long bones in the arms and legs, (like another of my family members). In a young person it can be helpful to look at the growth charts. You will often see a fall off of their percentile. For example the most seriously effected person in my family growth wise was born in the 65th percentile. He most likely became celiac after a bout with meningitis at 1 month. By a year he had dropped to the -10 percentile. This sent alarm bells off for the doctors, but unfortunately they never looked for celiac until 20 years later when I was diagnosed.

[Celiac-Disease]

I believe you are born with it, but the symptoms usually start after a tramatic event. That is what happened to me in my mid-20's and has happened to others that I have talked to. I wasn't having any problems, then my first son was born with a tragic injury and I think the stress caused it to flare up so-to-speak.