Signs and Symptoms

The symptoms of Celiac disease can be different from person to person. So you really have to watch and even keep a journal or log to see if you really have the symptoms. Some of them include:

• Abdominal pain, bloating, gas, or indigestion
• Constipation
• Decreased appetite (may also be increased or unchanged)
• Diarrheaa, either constant or off and on
• Lactose intolerancee (common when the person is diagnosed, usually goes away after treatment)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Stools that float, are foul smelling, bloody, or “fatty”
• Unexplained weight loss (although people can be overweight or of normal weight)

Because the intestines do not absorb many important vitamins, minerals, and other parts of food, the following symptoms may start over a longer period of time:

• Bruising easily
• Depression or anxiety
• Fatigue
• Growth delay in children
• Hair loss
• Itchy skin (dermatitis herpetiformis)
• Missed menstrual periods
• Mouth ulcers
• Muscle cramps and joint pain
• Nosebleeds
• Seizures
• Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
• Unexplained short height

Children with celiac disease may have symptoms like:

• Defects in the tooth enamel and changes in tooth color
• Delayed puberty
• Diarrhea, constipation, fatty or foul-smelling stools, nausea, or vomiting
• Irritable and fussy behavior
• Poor weight gain
• "Stunted Growth"

Diagnoses:

Now blood tests can detect several special antibodies, called antitissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGA) or anti-endomysium antibodies (EMA). The health care provider will order these antibody tests if celiac disease is suspected.
If the tests are positive, an upper endoscopy is usually performed to sample a piece of tissue, in other words a biopsy is taken from the first part of the small intestine (duodenum). The biopsy may show a flattening of the villi in the parts of the intestine below the duodenum.
Genetic testing of the blood is also available to help determine who may be at risk for celiac disease.
A follow-up biopsy or blood test may be ordered several months after the diagnosis and treatment. These tests evaluate your response to treatment. Normal results mean that you have responded to treatment, which confirms the diagnosis. However, this does not mean that the disease has been cured. 

Treatment:

Things are being done to try and find a way to cure or treat the diseases very similar to the pills one will take for being lactose intolerance, but these tests are all very new and have a lot of trials before they will hopefully exist.  Celiac disease cannot be cured. However, your symptoms will go away and the villi in the lining of the intestines will heal if you follow a lifelong gluten-free diet. Do not eat foods, beverages, and medications that contain wheat, barley, rye, and/or possibly oats.
You must read food and medication labels carefully to look for hidden sources of these grains and ingredients related to them. Because wheat and barley grains are common in the American diet, sticking with this diet is challenging. With education and planning, you will heal.
You should NOT begin the gluten-free diet before you are diagnosed. Starting the diet will affect testing for the disease.
The health care provider may prescribe vitamin and mineral supplements to correct nutritional deficiencies. Occasionally, corticosteroids (such as prednisone) may also be prescribed for short-term use or if you have sprue that does not respond to treatment. Following a well-balanced, gluten-free diet is generally the only treatment you need to stay well.

Stefanie Plane