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    Scott Adams

    What Are the Symptoms of Celiac Disease?

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Symptoms may be common in some people, but totally absent in others.

    What Are the Symptoms of Celiac Disease? - Image: CC--Nick Spacee
    Caption: Image: CC--Nick Spacee

    Celiac.com 02/27/2019 - Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition with numerous symptoms, and associated conditions. People with celiac disease often have gastrointestinal symptoms, including upset stomach, abdominal pain, gas, bloating, indigestion, and diarrhea. Some suffer from many of these on a regular basis.

    However, many people show few or no symptoms. No single set of signs or symptoms is typical for everyone with celiac disease. Signs and symptoms can vary greatly from person to person.

    Symptoms of Celiac Disease Fall Into 7 Major Categories

    1. Digestive symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, and steatorrhea (fatty stools);
    2. Non-digestive symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, anemia, weight loss, malnutrition, delayed growth, irritability, depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment;
    3. Dermatological symptoms such as skin rash, itching, blistering, and dermatitis herpetiformis;
    4. Musculoskeletal symptoms such as joint pain, muscle pain, muscle cramps, and osteoporosis;
    5. Neurological symptoms such as headache, migraine, ataxia, neuropathy, seizures, and cognitive impairment;
    6. Reproductive symptoms such as infertility, menstrual irregularities, and recurrent miscarriage.
    7. No obvious symptoms or asymptomatic;

    Symptoms Can Vary Between Children and Adults

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    The signs and symptoms of celiac disease can vary greatly and are different in children and adults. The most common signs for adults are diarrhea, fatigue and weight loss. Adults may also experience bloating and gas, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, and vomiting. Many symptoms caused by celiac disease are the result of nutritional deficiencies caused by flattened villi and subsequent malabsorption. 

    Symptoms in Children

    Children under 2 years old celiac symptoms often include vomiting, chronic diarrhea, failure to thrive, muscle wasting, poor appetite, and swollen belly. Older children may experience diarrhea, constipation, weight loss, irritability, short stature, delayed puberty, and neurological symptoms, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, headaches, lack of muscle coordination and seizures

    Vague Symptoms Can Delay Celiac Diagnosis

    It is not uncommon for symptoms of celiac disease to be vague or confusing. Vague or confusing symptoms can include dental enamel defects, bone disorders like osteoporosis, depression, irritability, joint pain, mouth sores, muscle cramps, skin rash, stomach discomfort, and even neuropathy, often experienced as tingling in the legs and feet. 

    To make matters more challenging, celiac symptoms can also mimic symptoms of other diseases, such as anemia, Crohns disease, gastric ulcers, irritable bowel, parasitic infection, even various skin disorders or nervous conditions. Vague or confusing symptoms can delay celiac disease diagnosis.

    Signs and Symptoms of Celiac Disease

    • Abdominal cramps, gas and bloating
    • Acne
    • Anemia
    • Ataxia (gluten ataxia)
    • Borborygmi—stomach rumbling
    • Coetaneous bleeding
    • Delayed puberty
    • Dental enamel defects
    • Diarrhea
    • Dry skin
    • Easy bruising
    • Epistaxis—nose bleeds
    • Eczema
    • Failure to thrive or short stature
    • Fatigue or general weakness
    • Flatulence
    • Fluid retention
    • Folic acid deficiency
    • Foul-smelling yellow or grayish stools that are often fatty or oily
    • Gastrointestinal symptoms
    • Gastrointestinal hemorrhage
    • General malaise, feeling unwell
    • Hematuria—red urine
    • Hypocalcaemia/hypomagnesaemia
    • Infertility, or recurrent miscarriage
    • Iron deficiency anemia
    • Joint Pain
    • Lymphocytic gastritis
    • Malabsorption
    • Malnutrition
    • Muscle weakness
    • Muscle wasting
    • Nausea
    • Obesity/Overweight
    • Osteoporosis
    • Pallor—pale, unhealthy appearance
    • Panic Attacks
    • Peripheral neuropathy
    • Psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression
    • Skin Problems—acne, eczema, DH, dry skin 
    • Stunted growth in children
    • Underweight
    • Vertigo
    • Vitamin A deficiency
    • Vitamin B6 deficiency
    • Vitamin B12 deficiency
    • Vitamin D deficiency
    • Vitamin K deficiency
    • Vomiting
    • Voracious appetite
    • Weight loss/gain
    • Zinc deficiency

    Conditions Associated with Celiac Disease

    People with one or more of these associated conditions are at higher risk for celiac disease:

    • Addison's Disease 
    • Anemia 
    • Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia 
    • Arthritis 
    • Asthma 
    • Ataxia, Nerve Disease, Neuropathy, Brain Damage 
    • Attention Deficit Disorder 
    • Autism 
    • Bacterial Overgrowth 
    • Cancer, Lymphoma 
    • Candida Albicans 
    • Canker Sores—Aphthous Stomatitis) 
    • Casein / Cows Milk Intolerance 
    • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 
    • Cognitive Impairment 
    • Crohn's Disease 
    • Depression 
    • Dermatitis Herpetiformis
    • Diabetes 
    • Down Syndrome 
    • Dyspepsia, Acid Reflux
    • Eczema
    • Epilepsy 
    • Eye Problems, Cataract 
    • Fertility, Pregnancy, Miscarriage 
    • Fibromyalgia 
    • Flatulence—Gas 
    • Gall Bladder Disease 
    • Gastrointestinal Bleeding 
    • Geographic Tongue—Glossitis 
    • Growth Hormone Deficiency 
    • Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
    • Heart Failure 
    • Infertility, Impotency 
    • Inflammatory Bowel Disease 
    • Intestinal Permeability 
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome 
    • Kidney Disease 
    • Liver and biliary tract disorders (transaminitis, fatty liver, primary sclerosing cholangitis, etc.)
    • Low bone density
    • Lupus 
    • Malnutrition, Body Mass Index 
    • Migraine Headaches 
    • Multiple Sclerosis 
    • Myasthenia Gravis Celiac Disease
    • Obesity, Overweight 
    • Osteopenia, osteoporosis, osteomalacia 
    • Psoriasis 
    • Refractory Celiac Disease & Collagenous Sprue
    • Sarcoidosis 
    • Scleroderma 
    • Schizophrenia / Mental Problems 
    • Sepsis 
    • Sjogrens Syndrome 
    • Sleep Disorders 
    • Thrombocytopenic Purpura 
    • Thyroid & Pancreatic Disorders 
    • Tuberculosis 

    Nutritional Deficiencies Associated with Celiac Disease and their Related Clinical Manifestations

    Nutritional deficiency
    Most frequent signs and symptoms
    Iron
    Hypochromic, microcytic anemia, glossitis, koilonychia, fatigue, pallor, cognitive impairment
    Folate
    Megaloblastic anemia, glossitis, diarrhea, cognitive impairment
    Vitamin B12
    Megaloblastic anemia, posterior columns syndrome, dementia, depression, psychosis
    Vitamin D
    Osteomalacia (deformity of bone, pathologic fractures), osteoporosis, cognitive impairment, secondary hyperparathyroidism
    Zinc
    Growth retardation, hypogonadism, infertility, dysgueusia, poor wound healing, diarrhea, dermatitis on the extremities and periorificial, glossitis, alopecia, corneal clouding
    Less frequently occurring
    Protein
    Edema, muscular atrophy
    Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
    Irritability, fatigue, headaches, peripheral neuropathy, wet Beriberi: congestive heart failure; Wernicke: nystagmus, ophtalmoplegia, ataxia; Korsakoff: hallucinations, impaired short-term memory and confabulation
    Vitamin B3 (niacin)
    Pellagra: diarrhea, dementia, pigmented dermatitis; Glossitis, stomatitis, vaginitis, vertigo, burning dysesthesias
    Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
    Stomatitis, angular cheilosis, glossitis, irritability, depression, confusion, normochromic normocytic anemia
    Vitamin A
    Follicular hyperkeratosis, night blindness, conjunctival xerosis, keratomalacia
    Vitamin E
    Hemolytic anemia, peripheral neuropathies, ophtalmoplegia, posterior columns syndrome
    Vitamin K
    Easy bleeding

     

    Top Scientific References on Celiac Symptoms



    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    Posterboy
    23 hours ago, OwlDarling said:

    So far it's lasted for 4hrs. I ate chicken & chips so don't understand how it could have happened. Could it be the potatoes? I know it's not the chicken. 

    Owl Darling,

    Actually it could be the Chicken.

    It is  not well known and it is not known how many Celiac's are affected in this way from Chicken but it has been studied and Chicken has been shown to be a problem in some Celiac's.

    Here is a  nice thread about it.

    The thread really  has some nice points about Cross Reactivity in Celiac's; Is it real or not? Etc.

    Or just jump to this link (abstract only) full citation behind a Paywall.

    Unfortunately in Celiac's Chickens is one of those odd/rare things that Celiac's can also react too!

    Entitled "Computational Characterisation and Identification of Peptides for in silico Detection of Potentially Celiac-Toxic Proteins" including Chicken Muscles...

    Open Original Shared Link

    And for anyone else also following this thread....

    Yeast can also trigger a reaction in some Celiac's.

    quoting from the above sage research....

    "In addition, amino acid sequences with a high degree of identity to the toxic peptides examined were detected in maize zein, oat avenin, protein of rice, yeast and chicken muscles, as well as β-casein and galanin."

    I hope this is helpful but it is not medical advice.

    Posterboy,

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    BROOKLAND

    Is wiping a lot after a bm a symptom? I have to use so much toilet paper. When I do get clean, hours later go back to check and still have to wipe. Had an MRI and it came back normal but I am still struggling to find a solution to my problem. 

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    trents
    12 minutes ago, BROOKLAND said:

    Is wiping a lot after a bm a symptom? I have to use so much toilet paper. When I do get clean, hours later go back to check and still have to wipe. Had an MRI and it came back normal but I am still struggling to find a solution to my problem. 

    This could be connected with celiac disease but could also be due to other digestive maladies. Constipation or diarrhea or an alternating combination of both is common among celiacs. In other words, the consistency of the stool is often not what it should be and motility is often impaired. 

    With bowel impactions or blockages, liquid stool can sometimes force its way around the plug such that there is leakage and irritation of the rectum because it is not staying clean.

    So let's ask the question, is the consistency of your stools abnormal? Are you experiencing leakage throughout the day, causing frequent wiping?

     

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    Scott Adams

    Possibly, as diarrhea and loose stools are definitely symptoms, however, many celiacs have little to no symptoms.

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    BROOKLAND
    On 6/2/2021 at 10:30 AM, trents said:

    This could be connected with celiac disease but could also be due to other digestive maladies. Constipation or diarrhea or an alternating combination of both is common among celiacs. In other words, the consistency of the stool is often not what it should be and motility is often impaired. 

    With bowel impactions or blockages, liquid stool can sometimes force its way around the plug such that there is leakage and irritation of the rectum because it is not staying clean.

    So let's ask the question, is the consistency of your stools abnormal? Are you experiencing leakage throughout the day, causing frequent wiping?

     

    Thank you for your response. The consistency of stool looks normal. I'm having trouble with leakage throughout the day. Very small but enough to be a problem. A rectal specialist wants me to do physical therapy for pelvic floor. I take 25mg of sertraline. She said that could also be a possible cause. I also have quite a few other Celiac symptoms which is why I was wondering if anyone else experienced leakage as a symptom. 

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    Martha Mitchell

    I just had cataract surgery on my right eye 2 weeks ago and I'm having terrible side effects...has anyone else had these issues? Is there gluten in the replacement lens?

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    Scott Adams

    I would not rule this out as a possible side-effect, but it’s way too little info to say for sure. I recommend getting screened for celiac disease to be sure.

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    Guest randolphr

    Posted

    Does anyone have a problem taking (gluten free) multi-vitamins / nutritional powder drinks etc ? ...... My stomach reacts as if it were gluten.

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    Scott Adams

    Can we assume that you are certain that they are gluten-free? It is possible that a batch got contaminated.

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    Gully

    I am so curious because I have at least half the symptoms on your list including pain in back. That’s putting it mildly. I hear I am old and it’s osteoarthritis. I am on a lot of pain killers. I have had seven spinal fusions, a knee replacement and a hip replacement. After each fusion the pain just moves up a vertebrate or two. My shoulders my elbows my hands hurt. Now my spine surgeon says it’s inflammation. Tell that to my back, the next vertebrate has a bulging disc. I see so many articles here and I do not know where to start. What do you suggest I read? I would greatly appreciate your advice even tho I know you can not diagnose me. 
     

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    cristiana
    On 6/2/2021 at 4:09 PM, BROOKLAND said:

    Is wiping a lot after a bm a symptom? I have to use so much toilet paper. When I do get clean, hours later go back to check and still have to wipe. Had an MRI and it came back normal but I am still struggling to find a solution to my problem. 

    Hi Brookland

    It might be.  Celiacs malabsorption can lead to stool containing a lot of fat, a condition called steatorrhea, which might cause this sort of problem.  Or it might be that your stools are loose, so perhaps there is a bit of an issue with stool leaking between BM?  

    If you haven't already, I would recommend you see a doctor and request celiac blood tests, but it is recommended you eat about two slices of normal bread or the equivalent every day for about 6 weeks prior to this test.

    Do come back to us if you need any further info.

    Cristiana

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    Pamela Adams
    On 1/11/2008 at 8:11 AM, Guest Ginger said:

    There is a last and final symptom and that is non Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer. That was how I found out that all my childhood pains and indigestions and such were directly linked to celiac disease. I went over and beyond gluten intolerance. My pathology book informed me of the final result after I'd done chemo and radiation. Go figure. lol

    After gall bladder removal, I continued having digestive and pain issues. Six years and 9 ( NINE) doctors, I finally have a diagnosis-  celiac disease. GI doctors ( or those with integrity) should have at least mentioned celiac disease, I had never even hear the word, until Dr. Nine. I was so sick, I had  to retire, quit driving, stopped a lot of our activities. Was so fatigued all I wanted to do was stay on the couch. Now my new doc ( 😍 ) did blood work and put me on a gluten free diet. Within weeks I felt some better. Doc did tell me that my insides have been so inflamed for so long that it will probably take 2 years of ‘no cheating’ for me to be completely healed. 
     

     

    On 3/30/2008 at 7:00 PM, Guest Linda said:

    How in God's name do you get through to people that this is NOT a joke, it's NOT just a tummy ache, and it's NOT in your head? As if I would be wasting time & money eating such a bloody expensive & inconvenient diet! Thanks for the DDX list. By the way, for some of us, it's severe constipation w/severe inflammation and other fun things like fistulas.


     

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  • About Me

    Scott Adams

    Scott Adams was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1994, and, due to the nearly total lack of information available at that time, was forced to become an expert on the disease in order to recover. In 1995 he launched the site that later became Celiac.com to help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed so they can begin to live happy, healthy gluten-free lives.  He is co-author of the book Cereal Killers, and founder and publisher of the (formerly paper) newsletter Journal of Gluten Sensitivity. In 1998 he founded The Gluten-Free Mall which he sold in 2014. Celiac.com does not sell any products, and is 100% advertiser supported.


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