Symptoms of Celiac Disease

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Celiac disease is an intestinal disorder in which gluten -- a natural

protein commonly found in many grains, including wheat, barley, rye and oats

-- cannot be tolerated by the body. In normal, healthy people, gluten is

digested like any other protein or nutrient, then absorbed through the

fingerlike protrusions called villi (and the even tinier hairlike

protrusions called microvilli) that make up the surface of the small

intestine. But in people with celiac disease, gluten causes an immune

reaction in the body, leading to inflammation and damage to the villi and

microvilli of the small intestine.

Celiac disease is considered to be an autoimmune condition because the

body's own immune system damages the intestinal villi, even though the

process is started by eating gluten. People with celiac disease also tend to

have an increased risk of developing other autoimmune diseases, such as type

1 diabetes (which usually requires insulin and is most common in children

and young adults), systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and

thyroid disease. Other conditions that may coexist with celiac disease

include dermatitis herpetiformis (an itchy, blistering skin rash), liver

disease and immune system abnormalities.

Chronic diarrhea that does not get better with medication

* Foul-smelly, greasy, pale stool

* Gassiness

* Recurring abdominal bloating

* Weight loss

* Fatigue

* Infertility, lack of menstruation

* Bone or joint pain

* Depression, irritability or mood changes

* Neurologic problems, including weakness, poor balance, seizures,

headaches or numbness or tingling in the legs

* Itchy, painful skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis)

* Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel, sores on lips or tongue

* Other signs of vitamin deficiency, such as scaly skin or hyperkeratosis

(from lack of vitamin A), or bleeding gums or bruising easily (from lack of

vitamin K).

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