Symptoms of Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a digestive condition, which damages small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. It is mainly caused due to the consumption of the protein called gluten, commonly found in bakery products like bread, pizza crust and other foods containing wheat or barley. The symptoms of celiac disease vary from person to person and there are as such no typical symptoms of celiac disease.

Symptoms of celiac disease may or may not occur in digestive system. Some people with celiac disease may have gastrointestinal symptoms like intermittent diarrhea, abdominal pain or bloating, whereas some people may not have any gastrointestinal symptoms. Some people also experience the symptoms like depression or irritability. Symptoms of Celiac disease symptoms are sometimes similar to those of other conditions, such as anemia, gastric ulcers, skin disorders or Crohn's disease. Some people with celiac disease show no symptoms at all. This is due to the undamaged part of their small intestine, which is able to absorb enough nutrients and prevent the symptoms of celiac disease. But then to there are some symptoms of celiac disease observed in some people like:

• Anemia
• Chronic constipation or diarrhea
• Foul-smelling stool
• Gas
• Weight loss
• Abdominal cramps, bloating and pain
• Fatigue
• Muscle cramps
• Bone pain
• Joint pain
• Tooth discoloration
• Seizures
• Tingling numbness in the legs
• Pale sores (aphthus ulcers) inside the mouth
• Skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis)
• Missed menstrual periods in women
• Delayed growth in children
• Failure to thrive

Since celiac disease causes damage to the surface of small intestine, its ability to absorb nutrients is lost, which results in malabsorbtion of nutrients.

Symptoms of celiac disease resulting from malabsorption

The symptoms of celiac disease vary from person to person depending on the degree of malabsorption. Some may have mild symptoms, few may have severe symptoms and others may have no symptoms at all. Some of the symptoms of malabsorption that may result from celiac disease include:

• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Weakness
• Pale, foul-smelling stools
• Osteoporosis
• Stunted growth in children

When the body doesn’t get enough nutrients, it results in malnutrition. Malnutrition is a serious problem, especially for children since adequate amount of nutrition is required for their proper development.

Symptoms of celiac disease resulting from malnutrition

• Anemia
• Weight loss
• Delayed growth
• Muscle weakness
• Fluid retention
• Infertility
• Osteoporosis