What are the symptoms of celiac disease?
Celiac Disease is nicknamed “the Great Mimic” because its symptoms aresimilar to many other illnesses. Symptoms vary from person to person and can include few to many different symptoms, which may include constipation, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, fatigue, achy joints, bloating, dermatitis herpetiformis.
There is no typical celiac. Individuals range from having no symptoms (asymptomatic or “latent” forms of the disease) to extreme cases where patients present to their physicians with gas, bloating, diarrhea, and weight loss due to malabsorption. In between these two extremes lie a wide variety of symptoms that include: o diarrhea o constipation o steatorrhea (fatty stools that float rather than sink) o abdominal pain o excessive gas o any problem associated with vitamin deficiencies + iron deficiency (anemia) + chronic fatigue + weakness + weight loss + bone pain + easily fractured bones + abnormal or impaired skin sensation (paresthesia), including burning, prickling, itching or tingling + edema Individuals have reported such varied symptoms as: o white flecks on the fingernails o fuzzy-mindedness after gluten ingestion o burning sensations in the throat In children, the symptoms may include: o failure to thrive o paleness o querulousness, irritability o inability to concentrate o was
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.
There are many symptoms of celiac disease. Some individuals will have many of these symptoms, and some will have no symptoms at all. The following are some of the most common symptoms experienced by individuals with celiac disease: • Diarrhea – due to improper digestion and absorption of food nutrients; stools may be watery or oily in appearance and have a characteristic foul odor • Iron deficiency anemia • Abdominal pain • Weight loss – varies in patients due to differences in severity of intestinal damage and since some patients may be able to compensate for the absorption problem by increasing dietary intake • Malabsorption – improper absorption of fat results in the excessive fat in the large bowel (colon); bacteria then produce a compound (hydroxy fatty acids) that causes secretion of fluids into the intestine • Fatigue – results from poor nutrition; anemia in some patients can contribute to fatigue and low energy • Bloating/Gas – results from the release of gas produced in the in
Celiac disease affects people differently. Symptoms may occur in the digestive system, or in other parts of the body. For example, one person might have diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another person may be irritable or depressed. In fact, irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children. Symptoms of celiac disease may include one or more of the following: • gas • recurring abdominal bloating and pain • chronic diarrhea • constipation • pale, foul-smelling, or fatty stool • weight loss/weight gain • fatigue • unexplained anemia (a low count of red blood cells causing fatigue) • bone or joint pain • osteoporosis, osteopenia • behavioral changes • tingling numbness in the legs (from nerve damage) • muscle cramps • seizures • missed menstrual periods (often because of excessive weight loss) • infertility, recurrent miscarriage • delayed growth • failure to thrive in infants • pale sores inside the mouth, called aphthous ulcers • tooth discoloration or loss of enamel • itchy
