Develop Celiac Disease At 35

[uruboy02]

Hi

I had a normal life but I seem to have developed the Celiac disease at 35!

How is this possible?

Is it more common than I think?

And the main question why? is it possible to develope it due to a high amount of stress?

[curlyfries]

Hi

I had a normal life but I seem to have developed the Celiac disease at 35!

How is this possible?

Is it more common than I think?

And the main question why? is it possible to develope it due to a high amount of stress?

You've been predisposed for celiac all your life. Think of it as lying dormant all these years.

....or maybe not. You may find that you've had symptoms all along, but perhaps they were minor and you didn't give them much thought. Once you've been on a gluten free diet for awhile, you may start to realize you're feeling better than ever.

And yes, stress can trigger the onset of symptoms.

Welcome to our little community

[psawyer]

I was diagnosed at 46, but had severe symptoms for about five years before that. In retrospect, there are things that I can see going back to my childhood that *could* have been symptoms of celiac disease.

The disease has a genetic component, with which you are born, but then seems to need a trigger to set it off. Triggers identified by members of this board have included infectious diseases (mono is common), childbirth, surgery, as well as emotional stress events.

[tarnalberry]

Celiac disease requires the genetics, and a "trigger" to turn the gene expression on. That trigger can occur any time during life.

[SaraKat]

I am 35 and was just diagnosed 2 months ago! I was feeling a little off for the last year or so and after many tests celiac came back positive. I am not sure how long it has been active in me. I was under a bit of stress a couple years ago, so maybe that set it off. No idea.

What were your symptoms?

My Dr told me it is common for people not to be dx'd till they are in their 50's.

[uruboy02]

You've been predisposed for celiac all your life. Think of it as lying dormant all these years.

....or maybe not. You may find that you've had symptoms all along, but perhaps they were minor and you didn't give them much thought. Once you've been on a gluten free diet for awhile, you may start to realize you're feeling better than ever.

And yes, stress can trigger the onset of symptoms.

Welcome to our little community

Thanks!

[uruboy02]

I am 35 and was just diagnosed 2 months ago! I was feeling a little off for the last year or so and after many tests celiac came back positive. I am not sure how long it has been active in me. I was under a bit of stress a couple years ago, so maybe that set it off. No idea.

What were your symptoms?

My Dr told me it is common for people not to be dx'd till they are in their 50's.

Basically diahrrea,intestinal irritation and fatigue.

I used to be able to eat anything but now I don't even dare to eat a normal sandwich....

[uruboy02]

Celiac disease requires the genetics, and a "trigger" to turn the gene expression on. That trigger can occur any time during life.

My aunt was diagnosed with the disease a few years ago but she had it since she was a child.

[wheeleezdryver]

i just turned 34 this last July, and have finally come to realize that i have gluten intolerance, if not Celiac (have decided, at least for the time being, not to do the testing).

[adab8ca]

I am woman, 42 and have always been healthy and am very tall ( 5'11") so am fairly certain celiac did nothing to my growth:) My symptoms, mostly neuro, started 2 weeks after my almost 19 year old cat died. It was the most horrible time of my life and all this started then. I have never had typical celiac symptoms except weight loss and luckily my GP listened to me (after we had the "I think you may be crazy" discussion where I said "I'm not crazy, something is seriously wrong") and ended up with a neurologist that diagnosed small fiber neuropathy, ran a TON of blood tests and it all came out in the wash as celiac..

[Roda]

I was 35 when I was diagnosed.

[mtangel]

Hi,

I am new here, just diagnosed on 10/6 after biopsy. I just turned 50. My Dr. said I probably took so long to suffer consequences due to my natural avoidance of bread and bread type products. My diet has already been heavy on corn, beans and rice. Anyway, I am struggling to get over the malnutrition. I hate my wasted muscles! I have always been very active but for the last year have not had energy to go to my gym?! I would like some encouragement. I know my intestines need to heal, but it feels like forever. I have visited with a dietitian, and am trying to find recipes for high protein shakes without buying the protein powders. My tastes are very sensitive and the medicine-taste really turns me off.

Anyway, hello to all, and thanks for the info.

[36Hatt]

I just turned 60 last August and was just diagnosed two weeks ago. I beleive that I have had a couple of indicators in the past, but it recently got worse. Who knew, I didn't. It took almost 1.5 years to figure it out.

Blaine

[GFinDC]

Hi,

I am new here, just diagnosed on 10/6 after biopsy. I just turned 50. My Dr. said I probably took so long to suffer consequences due to my natural avoidance of bread and bread type products. My diet has already been heavy on corn, beans and rice. Anyway, I am struggling to get over the malnutrition. I hate my wasted muscles! I have always been very active but for the last year have not had energy to go to my gym?! I would like some encouragement. I know my intestines need to heal, but it feels like forever. I have visited with a dietitian, and am trying to find recipes for high protein shakes without buying the protein powders. My tastes are very sensitive and the medicine-taste really turns me off.

Anyway, hello to all, and thanks for the info.

Hi MtAngel,

Sounds like you just started the gluten-free diet in early Oct-2010? That's not a long time to reverse damage that may have been going on for years. But that doesn't mean you haven't started down the road to recovery either. A damaged gut can lead to malabsorption, poor vitamins/minerals/food absorption, which can lead to myriad other symptoms beyond the gut. If you think about scurvy and beri-beri, those are the kinds of things that malabsorption can cause. Plus depression, weakness, etc. etc. It can take time for your villi to heal, but as they do you will be able to absorb more nutrients. Some people take extra vitamins and sub-lingual B-12. It's a bit of learning curve to adjust to the diet, but since your were already gluten lite it may be somewhat smoother. welcome to the forum!

I just turned 60 last August and was just diagnosed two weeks ago. I believe that I have had a couple of indicators in the past, but it recently got worse. Who knew, I didn't. It took almost 1.5 years to figure it out.

Blaine

Welcome to the site Blaine! Looking back I had some symptoms from an early age. Took me 50 years to find out what caused it all though. Oh well. things are better now.

[mtangel]

Hi MtAngel,

Sounds like you just started the gluten-free diet in early Oct-2010? That's not a long time to reverse damage that may have been going on for years. But that doesn't mean you haven't started down the road to recovery either. A damaged gut can lead to malabsorption, poor vitamins/minerals/food absorption, which can lead to myriad other symptoms beyond the gut. If you think about scurvy and beri-beri, those are the kinds of things that malabsorption can cause. Plus depression, weakness, etc. etc. It can take time for your villi to heal, but as they do you will be able to absorb more nutrients. Some people take extra vitamins and sub-lingual B-12. It's a bit of learning curve to adjust to the diet, but since your were already gluten lite it may be somewhat smoother. welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the site Blaine! Looking back I had some symptoms from an early age. Took me 50 years to find out what caused it all though. Oh well. things are better now.

Thank you for the welcome! That is exactly what I am dealing with! I am taking liquid vitamins, liquid iron for severe anemia, and a high protein liquid supplement throughout the day to try to repair muscle damage. Also B12 injections.. I have been SO weak, depressed, and have very sore joints and muscles, so my lifestyle has taken a huge left turn over the last year. My guy friend was so disappointed that I didn't get a ski pass, but it isn't worth it! I bought one last year and skied one time. I need to get my body back! I sure thank you for the encouraging words.... I look forward to getting better and learning from this site..... Thank you!

[nutzieone]

I was diagnosed 2 years ago at the age of 40. I had been quite ill for a couple of years with very vague symptoms. I was constantly nauseated, bloated and exhausted! In my 20's i had gut issues and was then diagnosed with IBS. My symptoms seemed to disappear but looking back i Think I have had celiac disease for a long time. I think that the times my symptoms weren't bad was because I just happened to not be eating foods with gluten in them (only by chance). I have gone gluten-free now and feel better although I also have rheumatoid arthritis and unfortunately the symptoms of that and the celiac disease sometimes make me very tired and I also now struggle daily with fatigue. But I am just happy to now have been diagnosed with something that can be treated and I can now go on and not feel like I am going crazy!!! I thought that my GP was starting to think I was a bit of a hypochondriac because I kept going in with such vague symptoms. one symptoms of celiac disease that I did not have was diarrhoea. This I believe is because of the arthritis I am on quite a high dose of painkillers which of course constipate you! I did once in a while have some diarrhoea but not all the time! I really think that my case would be a great case study for someone!

I had also had a few bouts of pneumonia in the run up ot my diagnosis and I think that this reduced my body's defense system and let the full celiac disease come through.

All the best.

Annette

[Emilushka]

I was diagnosed 3 days after turning 27. Nobody else in my family has Celiac. Celiac's a sneaky one.

[detritus]

I was diagnosed 2 years ago at the age of 40. I had been quite ill for a couple of years with very vague symptoms. I was constantly nauseated, bloated and exhausted! In my 20's i had gut issues and was then diagnosed with IBS. My symptoms seemed to disappear but looking back i Think I have had celiac disease for a long time. I think that the times my symptoms weren't bad was because I just happened to not be eating foods with gluten in them (only by chance). I have gone gluten-free now and feel better although I also have rheumatoid arthritis and unfortunately the symptoms of that and the celiac disease sometimes make me very tired and I also now struggle daily with fatigue. But I am just happy to now have been diagnosed with something that can be treated and I can now go on and not feel like I am going crazy!!! I thought that my GP was starting to think I was a bit of a hypochondriac because I kept going in with such vague symptoms. one symptoms of celiac disease that I did not have was diarrhoea. This I believe is because of the arthritis I am on quite a high dose of painkillers which of course constipate you! I did once in a while have some diarrhoea but not all the time! I really think that my case would be a great case study for someone!

I had also had a few bouts of pneumonia in the run up ot my diagnosis and I think that this reduced my body's defense system and let the full celiac disease come through.

All the best.

Anette

Hi, I have Celiac's & Rheumatoid Arthritis, and I've found taking certain things out of my diet to have a HUGE influence on my RA. I can't eat potatoes, tomatoes, any kind of pepper, citrus, and various other random things unless I want to wake up in pain in my feet or hands. Have you tried eliminating for the RA? I also started using only natural beauty products & deodorant; I'm now mostly pain free, unless I introduce something new and it triggers the RA. Best to you, Megan

[luvs2eat]

I was diagnosed at age 48 after only 2 months of ANY symptoms. I guess it can happen at any time! My 3 daughters have been diagnosed in their mid 20s and early 30s.

[Mama Melissa]

i was 27 when i was diagnosed but now that i think of it have had weird symptoms since i was a little girl,also always been more big on"rice" anways. I look at it this way the younger you are diagnosed the long life you will live HEALTHY!! Goodluck xoxoo

[takeiteasy]

Hi all!

I've been diagnosed with celiac a year ago, Dec 3rd 2009, to be exact. I started immediately on a gluten free diet and was seeing results by the third month. Soon after this, I found out about a terrific bread recipe, made of gluten free oat flour and was as excited as a kid in a candy store. I started baking and eating this bread about once a week. Looking back now, it was about at this time that my symptoms starting acting up again. My symptoms include intestinal and DH (skin). I did not connect the dots during the last 7 months because the package states "gluten free". About 4 weeks ago I was just randomly reading the gluten free oat flour package and almost fell off my chair as I'm reading "children can have 3 tbsp a day, adults can have 1/2 cup a day and some celiac patients can not Someone should sue them!!

Anyway, I'm off the bread now for a month, but I'm suffering from both stomach and skin terribly and waiting with baited breath for the day I will please God be symptom free.

I thought I would share this with all of you, in case any one is inclined to use this product, they might want to make sure their body doesn't reject it.

Sincerely,

[lentzKat]

i just turned 34 this last July, and have finally come to realize that i have gluten intolerance, if not Celiac (have decided, at least for the time being, not to do the testing).

Testing might not be the worst idea though, as other members of your family might also be carrying the gene and be undiagnosed. My GI Dr told me to inform family members of my positive DQ2 test and that they should also be tested to avoid complications of being undiagnosed.

[lentzKat]

I just got diagnosed at 45 after having stomach issues for a few years that were on-and -off but got persistently worse within the last year as well as feeling quite foggy-brained and forgetful, and falling 4 times which resulted in having to have surgery on my left elbow to relieve a pinched dying nerve. I also have been diabetic for 26 years and have had hypothyroid for a few years less than that. Last year though I had a false positive pregnancy test reading while in the ER after my first fall (I had a hysterectomy 3 years earlier). I am wondering if because this disease causes hormonal abnormalities it caused that reading?

[Meatballman]

Hi

I had a normal life but I seem to have developed the Celiac disease at 35!

How is this possible?

Is it more common than I think?

And the main question why? is it possible to develope it due to a high amount of stress?

I too thought i had a normal life up untill four years ago.Seems surgery and related stress awoke a sleeping giant.It took four years and numerous doctors to diagnose me with Celiac.Before the diagnosis Iwas told I had Fibro,MS,Costrochondritis,Anxiety...You are not alone it takes some time to sink in.With time and diet things for me are slowly getting better.I am positive they will for you as well.

[Noche22]

I am 34 and wAs just diagnosed last week. I have been violently sick for years though and finally just figured it out. I have a number of issues going on. Fibrmyalgia, gall bladder just removed, umbilical hernia surgery just recently, severe IBS, and a few other things. I self diagnosed myself through symptoms and research and had my doctor run the tests to confirm yes or no. I was right. I too wondered why it took me so long to be diagnosed. Doesn't matter now, I am here now and have help. I only found out last wednesday.....so I am VERY fresh at this.

Good luck!