Celiac Disease Symptoms Difficult to Diagnose

Celiac disease, or CD, is an autoimmune disease which requires a strict gluten-free diet to treat. If you are familiar with celiac sprue disease, you are probably familiar with the gastrointestinal symptoms, such as intermittent diarrhea, constipation, malodorous flatulence and intestinal pain. However, there are many CD symptoms you may not typically associate with celiac sprue disease.

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Latent Celiac Disease Symptoms

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While latent celiac symptoms can be any symptoms of CD, there are a few symptoms that are more likely to be latent than others. A latent symptom of any kind is one that does not consistently present itself. Because it doesn't persist, people may mistakenly discount it as a sign of a specific illness.

Common latent symptoms of celiac sprue disease include joint pain or arthritis, headaches and migraines, numbness and tingling in the limbs and extremities, and mouth sores.

Silent Celiac Disease Symptoms

Silent celiac symptoms are similar to latent symptoms of celiac in that they are present but often either overlooked or misdiagnosed. While gastrointestinal symptoms like those mentioned at the beginning are pretty evident, silent symptoms often blend into your life and are excused for occurring as a result of some other activity in your life. You might not associate these celiac signs with a serious condition like celiac sprue disease.

Common silent symptoms of celiac sprue disease include headaches, fatigue, irritability, nausea, sore muscles and minor weight loss.

Refractory Celiac Disease Symptoms

Refractory CD is the most serious and frustrating form of this autoimmune disease. Sadly, it may be overlooked simply because the typical treatment for CD is a gluten-free diet. Yet those suffering from refractory CD are the rare few whose bodies will not respond to a gluten-free diet.

Because the symptoms do not go away after eliminating gluten from one's diet, some people with this form of CD may believe they are not actually suffering from celiac disease symptoms. But they are and they must be treated with stronger medications such as cortisone and immuno-suppressant drugs to help them heal their intestinal tract.

Misdiagnosed Celiac Symptoms

Other symptoms which may be hard to diagnose include those misdiagnosed as other ailments. These include lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and Crohn's disease. If you have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, you might have your doctor further investigate the possibility that you are actually experiencing CD symptoms.

Celiac sprue disease is a serious autoimmune disease and if you suspect you may be suffering from it, I urge you to consult your doctor right away. A strict gluten-free diet may be your key to greater health and vitality.

Celiac Disease Symptoms Difficult to Diagnose

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