Does anyone have Celiac Disease?

Can anyone tell me about celiac disease symptoms?

• My friend has been ill for a few days. At first we thought it was just a cold but someone mentioned that it could be celiac disease. Can anyone tell me about celiac disease symptoms?

• Answer:

  Canadian Celiac Association advises that symptoms of celiac disease are as follows: Common symptoms are anemia, chronic diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, cramps and bloating, irritability. Although some or all of these symptoms occur in celiac disease, some can also occur in many other diseases more common than celiac disease. In other cases, sufferers from gluten-intolerance develop an intense burning and itching rash called dermatitis herpetiformis. The intestinal symptoms of celiac disease may or may not appear in dermatitis herpetiformis. Until recently physicians had to rely on clinical signs to suggest the diagnosis and to select which patients should have further investigation to prove the diagnosis. Since these signs may be vague or of varying severity this may be difficult. Now simple blood screening tests are becoming available to help this process. A definitive diagnosis can only be made by a small bowel biopsy. The biopsy is performed by a specialist in the gastrointestinal field. The biopsy must be done before treatment is started Celiac disease as yet has no known cure, but can usually be effectively treated and controlled. The treatment of celiac disease is strict adherence to a GLUTEN FREE DIET FOR LIFE. This requires knowledgeable dietetic counselling and frequent "up-dates" as commercial food contents change. Today's processed and packaged foods have many hidden sources of gluten which can be unintentionally ingested. Particular care should be taken in the selection of soups, luncheon meats and sausages. The person with celiac disease MUST READ THE LIST OF INGREDIENTS ON ALL LABELS, EVERY TIME. There is a great variation in sensitivity to gluten among those with celiac disease, and although one may have no obvious symptoms, damage to the intestinal lining may still occur.