Symptoms of Celiac Disease

List of symptoms of Celiac Disease:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Celiac Disease includes the 35 symptoms listed below:

• Digestive symptoms - some people will notice digestive symptoms such as:
  • Diarrhea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Abdominal bloating
  • Pale stool
  • Foul-smelling stool
  • Loose stool
  • Flatulence
  • Pallor
  • Weakness
• Behavioral symptoms - there are also several other symptoms:
  • Irritability - especially in children
  • Depression
  • Behavior changes
• Inadequate nutrition symptoms - because celiac causes malabsorption, the body does not get enough nutrients, leading to symptoms such as:
  • Weight loss
  • Delayed growth
  • Failure to thrive (infants)
  • Missed menstrual periods
  • Anemia
  • Fatigue
• Gas
• Bone pain
• Joint pain
• Seizures
• Muscle cramps
• No symptoms - some people have mild celiac without noticable symptoms
• Non-specific symptoms - some people get mild but unclear symptoms
• Tingling (legs from nerve damage)
• Numbness (legs from nerve damage)
• Mouth sores (aphthus ulcers)
• Skin rash
• Dermatitis herpetiformis - a painful skin rash
• Tooth discoloration
• Tooth enamel loss

Note that Celiac Disease symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Celiac Disease signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Celiac Disease

Do I have Celiac Disease?

• Celiac Disease: Introduction
• Celiac Disease: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Celiac Disease
• Failure to Diagnose Celiac Disease
• Treatments for Celiac Disease
• More about Celiac Disease

Wrongly Diagnosed with Celiac Disease?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Celiac Disease includes:

• Digestive disease, chronic
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Crohn's disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Stomach ulcers

See the full list of 30 alternative diagnoses for Celiac Disease

More about symptoms of Celiac Disease:

More information about symptoms of Celiac Disease and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Celiac Disease
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Celiac Disease
• Underlying causes of Celiac Disease
• Associated conditions for Celiac Disease
• Risk factors for Celiac Disease

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Abdominal bloating - see all causes of Abdominal swelling
• Abdominal pain - see all causes of Abdominal pain
• Anemia - see all causes of Anemia
• Behavior changes - see all causes of Behavioral symptoms
• Behavioral symptoms - see all causes of Behavioral symptoms
• Bone pain - see all causes of Bone pain
• Delayed growth - see all causes of Poor growth
• Depression - see all causes of Depressive symptoms
• Dermatitis herpetiformis - see all causes of Dermatitis herpetiformis
• Diarrhea - see all causes of Diarrhea
• Digestive symptoms - see all causes of Digestive symptoms
• Failure to thrive (infants) - see all causes of Weight loss
• Fatigue - see all causes of Fatigue
• Flatulence - see all causes of Flatulence
• Foul-smelling stool - see all causes of Foul-smelling stool
• Gas - see all causes of Belching
• Inadequate nutrition symptoms - see all causes of Weight loss
• Irritability - see all causes of Irritability
• Joint pain - see all causes of Joint pain
• Loose stool - see all causes of Loose stool
• Missed menstrual periods - see all causes of Amenorrhea
• Mouth sores (aphthus ulcers) - see all causes of Mouth ulcers
• Muscle cramps - see all causes of Muscle cramps
• No symptoms - see all causes of No symptoms
• Non-specific symptoms - see all causes of Vague symptoms
• Numbness (legs from nerve damage) - see all causes of Leg numbness
• Pale stool - see all causes of Pale stool
• Pallor - see all causes of Paleness
• Seizures - see all causes of Seizures
• Skin rash - see all causes of Rash
• Tingling (legs from nerve damage) - see all causes of Leg paresthesia
• Tooth discoloration - see all causes of Tooth discoloration
• Tooth enamel loss - see all causes of Tooth discoloration
• Weakness - see all causes of Weakness
• Weight loss - see all causes of Weight loss

Medical Books Online about Celiac Disease

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Celiac Disease are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Celiac Disease.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Symptoms of Celiac Disease: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Celiac Disease.

Celiac disease: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Celiac disease produces clinical effects on many body systems:

❑ GI symptoms include recurrent attacks of diarrhea, steatorrhea, abdominal distention due to flatulence, stomach cramps, weakness, anorexia and, occasionally, increased appetite without weight gain. Atrophy of intestinal villi leads to malabsorption of fat, carbohydrates, and protein as well as loss of calories, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, and K), calcium, and essential minerals and electrolytes. In adults, celiac disease produces multiple nonspecific ulcers in the small bowel, which may perforate or bleed.

❑ Hematologic effects include normochromic, hypochromic, or macrocytic anemia due to poor absorption of folate, iron, and vitamin B₁₂ and to hypoprothrombinemia from jejunal loss of vitamin K.

❑ Osteomalacia, osteoporosis, tetany, and bone pain (especially in the lower back, rib cage, and pelvis) are some of the musculoskeletal symptoms of celiac disease. These signs and symptoms are due to calcium loss and vitamin D deficiency, which weakens the skeleton, causing rickets in children and compression fractures in adults.

❑ Neurologic effects may include peripheral neuropathy, seizures, or paresthesia.

❑ Dry skin, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis herpetiformis, and acne rosacea are some of the dermatologic effects of celiac disease. Deficiency of sulfur-containing amino acids may cause generalized fine, sparse, prematurely gray hair; brittle nails; and localized hyperpigmentation on the face, lips, or mucosa.

❑ Endocrine symptoms include amenorrhea, hypometabolism and, possibly, with severe malabsorption, adrenocortical insufficiency.

❑ Psychosocial effects include mood changes and irritability.

Symptoms may develop during the first year of life, when gluten is introduced into the child’s diet as cereal. Clinical effects may disappear during adolescence and reappear in adulthood. One theory proposes that the age at which symptoms first appear depends on the strength of the genetic factor: A strong factor produces symptoms during the child’s first 4 years; a weak factor, in late childhood or adulthood.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Celiac Disease:

Celiac Disease: NIDDK (Excerpt)

Celiac disease affects people differently. Some people develop symptoms as children, others as adults. One factor thought to play a role in when and how celiac appears is whether and how long a person was breastfed--the longer one was breastfed, the later symptoms of celiac disease appear, and the more atypical the symptoms. Other factors include the age at which one began eating foods containing gluten and how much gluten is eaten.

Symptoms may or may not occur in the digestive system. For example, one person might have diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another person has irritability or depression. In fact, irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children.

Symptoms of celiac disease may include one or more of the following:

• recurring abdominal bloating and pain
• chronic diarrhea
• weight loss
• pale, foul-smelling stool
• unexplained anemia (low count of red blood cells)
• gas
• bone pain
• behavior changes
• muscle cramps
• fatigue
• delayed growth
• failure to thrive in infants
• pain in the joints
• seizures
• tingling numbness in the legs (from nerve damage)
• pale sores inside the mouth, called aphthus ulcers
• painful skin rash, called dermatitis herpetiformis
• tooth discoloration or loss of enamel
• missed menstrual periods (often because of excessive weight loss)

Anemia, delayed growth, and weight loss are signs of malnutrition--not getting enough nutrients. Malnutrition is a serious problem for anyone, but particularly for children because they need adequate nutrition to develop properly.

Some people with celiac disease may not have symptoms. The undamaged part of their small intestine is able to absorb enough nutrients to prevent symptoms. However, people without symptoms are still at risk for the complications of celiac disease. (Source: excerpt from Celiac Disease: NIDDK)

Facts and Fallacies About Digestive Diseases: NIDDK (Excerpt)

These symptoms may be vague and therefore attributed to other conditions. Symptoms can include bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, skin rash, anemia, and thinning of the bones (osteoporosis). Celiac disease may cause such nonspecific symptoms for several years before being correctly diagnosed and treated. (Source: excerpt from Facts and Fallacies About Digestive Diseases: NIDDK)

Celiac Disease as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Celiac Disease, it is also important to consider Celiac Disease as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Celiac Disease may cause:

• Carcinogenesis
• Diarrhoea
• Hyposplenism
• Malabsorption syndrome
• Oral ulceration
• Rash
• Short stature

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Celiac Disease
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Celiac Disease
• More about Celiac Disease
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Celiac Disease:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Celiac Disease. This signs and symptoms information for Celiac Disease has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Celiac Disease signs or Celiac Disease symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Celiac Disease may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Celiac Disease symptoms.