Celiac Disease

• Patients with celiac disease who do not take gluten out of their diet will keep harming the small intestine. This can cause malabsorption, lower vitamins and minerals in their bodies, and more serious long-term problems, among other things.
• Celiac disease is a health condition of the small intestine that happens in 1 out of 100 people. Both dietary and genetic factors cause the disease. 
• Celiac disease is a lifelong health problem. 
• While the disease can be tricky to diagnose, the symptoms of diarrhea (loose stool) and belly pain often ease within weeks of eating a gluten-free diet.
• If you think you may have celiac disease, do not stop eating gluten until you have been tested and the tests show that you have celiac disease. Getting rid of gluten before testing will change the results.
• Many autoimmune illnesses are connected to celiac disease.
  • Thyroid disease
  • Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
  • Type 1 diabetes

There are many different symptoms of celiac disease. Below are a few more common symptoms, though there are many more.People with celiac disease may have one, some or none of these symptoms. Having the symptoms below does not mean you have celiac disease, just as some patients with the disease may not show any symptoms.

• Gas, belly bloating and pain that doesn’t go away.
• Diarrhea (loose stool) or constipation (hard stool or trouble passing stool) that doesn’t go away.
• Pale, foul - smelling or fatty stool.
• Weight loss or weight gain.
• Tiredness or low energy levels.
• Changes in behavior; irritability in children.
• Tingling or numbness in the legs ( from nerve damage ).
• Bone or joint pain.
• Muscle cramps.
• Delayed growth in children.
• Pale sores inside the mouth.
• Itchy skin rash.
• Brain fog.

If you think you may have celiac disease, do not get rid of gluten from your diet until your doctor has tested you. It is important to talk with gastroenterologist about options and discover the cause of your symptoms.