Symptoms of Celiac Disease!

Celiac disease is a lifelong condition that can occur if the gluten influences the respond of immune system, which eventually can harm the small intestine. This disease can lead to some serious health problems, particularly can reduce the ability of the body to absorb nutrient from the foods that we eat. So, what are symptoms of celiac disease?

-- You might also like to know more about foods that contain gluten, before continuing!

There are some celiac disease symptoms, but keep remember that all of them cannot be used to make a diagnosis. Therefore, don’t jump directly to the conclusion only through these symptoms! You have to see your doctor to get a clearly diagnosis and for more detailed information!

Celiac disease symptoms

Generally, the symptoms will occur in people with celiac disease after eating foods that contain gluten. The signs may be different from person to person, and moreover these very widely that can be very mild, severe, or even without any symptoms (completely unnoticed).

The following are some common symptoms of celiac disease that may ‘come & go’:

1. Vomiting. Some patients (particularly for children) experience vomiting after eating gluten-foods. But this sign is less likely in adults.
2. Patients may experience weight loss with unknown reasons. This is common either in children’s patient or adult’s patient. Even patients usually get this unexplained weight loss problem with a normal appetite. In younger kids, they may be unable to grow & gain weight as expected.
3. Weakness and more easy to get fatigue! As mentioned before, celiac disease can influence the performance of the body to absorb nutrient optimally, so thus patients are more likely to get ‘fatigue & weakness’ easily.
4. Foul-smelling stools, pale, frothy, watery, or diarrhea! These can occur more often in people with this celiac disease. Furthermore, patients may also experience constipation (intestinal problem) -- which is more common in children’s patients but also can occur in adult’s patients.
5. Bloating, gas, or abdominal swelling! These may be caused by a failure of the patient’s small intestine to optimally absorb nutrient. And moreover, patient may also experience mild stomach pain, which usually not too severe.

Then celiac disease also can generate other serious health problems, which may include:

1. Depression in adult’s patients and irritability in children’s patients.
2. Respiratory infections that can occur more often!
3. Infertility problem.
4. Lack of nutrient (particularly poor of calcium nutrient) which eventually can lead to osteoporosis.
5. Problems associated with concentration and memory.
6. Problems associated with the progress of puberty.
7. And lack of iron or folic acid intake can cause anemia!

In addition, there are also other conditions that may lead to the similar symptoms of celiac disease, like certain forms of colitis, giardiasis (a kind of parasitic infection in the intestine), food intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, colic, and cystic fibrosis! These are one of factors that can influence how fast the diagnosis of celiac disease will be made.

Celiac disease risk factors

There are still no clearly risk factors of celiac disease. But many experts believe that people with family history of the celiac disease have higher risk of this disease. There are about 10 percent of 1st-degree relatives (including daughter or son, sister, brother, father, and mother) of individuals with this disease also develop the same condition.

Furthermore, there are also unknown environmental factors (such as bacterial & viral infections) that may raise our risk of celiac disease.

When you should call doctor immediately?

You should need to see your doctor if you experience:

1. Unusual mood changes or fatigue without unclearly reason, particularly if these keep continuing more than 7 days and you still don’t know the reason or there is no any other related illness that you have!
2. Diarrhea, and this lasts more than 1-2 weeks.
3. Unexplainable weight loss.
4. (For children) difficult to gain weight or grow as expected!

And for child with celiac disease or if you have been diagnosed with this disease, you should call your doctor immediately when:

1. You in doubt whether your child or you have eaten foods that contain gluten, and whether the symptoms continue?
2. Certain absent symptoms come back or recur!
3. Unexplained weight loss or diarrhea recurs, and you believe that your kid has not eaten any gluten-foods.
4. Changes in symptoms, like increased stomach pain and increased tiredness.

Additionally; if you have celiac disease, keep contact with your doctor to report the progress your symptoms, and don’t forget to do all recommendation & instructions from your doctor (including all instructions in your celiac disease diet) 

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