HomeHealth TopicsMetabolic ProblemsCeliac Disease
Back to Metabolic Problems
Celiac Disease
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Metabolic Problems

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a chronic digestive and immune disorder triggered by gluten that damages the small intestine and prevents nutrient absorption.

What is celiac disease?

Celiac disease is a chronic (long-term) digestive and immune disorder that damages your small intestine. The damage may prevent your body from absorbing vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from the food you eat. This can lead to malnutrition and other serious health problems.

Celiac disease is triggered by eating foods that contain gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and other grains. It may also be in other products like vitamins and supplements, hair and skin products, toothpastes, and lip balm.

Celiac disease is different from gluten sensitivity. Both involve problems with gluten and can cause some of the same symptoms, such as abdominal (belly) pain and fatigue. But gluten sensitivity does not damage the small intestine like celiac disease does.

Wheat allergy, a type of food allergy, is also different. With both celiac disease and wheat allergy, your immune system is reacting to wheat. But with wheat allergy, you can have some different symptoms, such as itchy eyes or trouble breathing. And a wheat allergy will not cause long-term damage to the small intestine.

What causes celiac disease?

The exact cause of celiac disease is not known. Research suggests that celiac disease only happens in people who have certain genes and eat food that contains gluten. Researchers are studying other factors that may play a role in causing the disease.

Who is more likely to develop celiac disease?

Celiac disease is more common if you:

  • Have a family member who has the disease
  • Have Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, or Williams syndrome
  • Are White
  • Are female

What are the symptoms of celiac disease?

The symptoms of celiac disease can be different from person to person. Sometimes the symptoms may come and go. Some people may not notice any symptoms.

Some of the possible symptoms affect your digestive system. Digestive symptoms are more common in children than in adults. The digestive symptoms include:

  • Bloating (feeling fullness or swelling in your belly)
  • Chronic (long-term) diarrhea or greasy, bulky, unusually bad-smelling stool (poop)
  • Constipation
  • Gas
  • Lactose intolerance because of damage to the small intestine
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Pain in the abdomen (belly)
  • Weight loss in adults, or not enough weight gain in children

Some people with celiac disease have symptoms that affect other parts of the body, such as:

  • Fatigue
  • Depression and anxiety
  • Irritability (in children)
  • Dermatitis herpetiformis, an itchy rash with blisters (mainly in adults)
  • Bone or joint pain
  • Symptoms involving the mouth, such as canker sores or dry mouth

What other problems can celiac disease cause?

Over time, celiac disease can cause other health problems, especially if it is not treated. These problems can include:

  • Malnutrition
  • Anemia, especially iron-deficiency anemia
  • Bone loss
  • Nervous system problems such as headaches, balance problems, or peripheral neuropathy
  • Reproductive problems, such as missed menstrual periods and miscarriages in women and infertility in men and women

How is celiac disease diagnosed?

If you have symptoms of celiac disease, your health care provider will look for signs that you might have celiac disease. To do this, your provider will get your medical and family history and do a physical exam.

If your provider thinks that you could have celiac disease, you will have some tests. Providers most often use blood tests and biopsies of the small intestine to diagnose celiac disease. The biopsy would be done during an upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy. For this procedure, your provider uses an endoscope (a flexible tube with a camera) to see the lining of your esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. It also allows your provider to take a sample of tissue for a biopsy.

What are the treatments for celiac disease?

The treatment for celiac disease is following a gluten-free diet for the rest of your life. Sticking with a gluten-free diet will treat or prevent many of the symptoms and other health problems caused by celiac disease. In most cases, it can also heal damage in the small intestine and prevent more damage.

Your provider may refer you to a registered dietician (a nutrition expert) who can help you learn how to eat a healthy diet without gluten. You will also need to avoid all hidden sources of gluten, such as certain supplements, cosmetics, toothpaste, etc. Reading product labels can sometimes help you avoid gluten. If a label doesn't tell you what is in a product, check with the company that makes the product for an ingredients list. Don't just assume that a product is gluten-free if it doesn't mention it.

Frequently Asked Questions

While abdominal pain and fatigue are common, celiac disease can present with a wide range of non-digestive symptoms. These include iron-deficiency anemia that doesn't respond to iron supplements, bone or joint pain, osteoporosis, a blistering skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis, dental enamel defects, neurological issues like peripheral neuropathy or ataxia, infertility, recurrent miscarriages, and unexplained weight loss or failure to thrive in children. If you experience any of these symptoms, especially with a family history of celiac disease, discuss testing with your doctor.
strict gluten-free diet means completely avoiding all foods containing wheat, barley, and rye. This includes obvious sources like bread, pasta, and cereals made from these grains, as well as many processed foods where gluten can be an ingredient (e.g., sauces, soups, marinades, some medications, and supplements). To avoid accidental exposure, always read food labels carefully, looking for "gluten-free" certification. Be vigilant about cross-contamination in your kitchen (e.g., using separate cutting boards, toasters, and utensils) and when eating out. Inform restaurant staff about your celiac disease to ensure your meal is prepared safely.
Celiac disease is typically diagnosed through a two-step process. First, blood tests are performed to check for specific antibodies (like tTG-IgA and EMA). If these are positive, a small bowel biopsy is usually recommended, which involves an endoscopy to examine the small intestine and take tissue samples. It is crucial to continue eating gluten regularly before both the blood tests and the biopsy. If you stop eating gluten before testing, the results may be inaccurate or negative, even if you have celiac disease, making diagnosis difficult.
If celiac disease is not diagnosed or if a strict gluten-free diet is not maintained, the ongoing damage to the small intestine can lead to serious long-term health complications. These include chronic malnutrition, iron-deficiency anemia, osteoporosis, an increased risk of certain cancers (such as small bowel lymphoma and adenocarcinoma), neurological complications, infertility, and other autoimmune disorders. Regular follow-up with your healthcare provider is important to monitor your health and ensure the diet is effective.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

kontakt@hittavard.se

Ⓒ 2024. Alla rättigheter förbehålls av juxt ab

Sök
Om ossVillkor och policyVanliga frågorKontakta oss