Symptoms

Celiac disease is a multisystem multi-organ disorder impacting people differently. There are more than 200 signs and symptoms which have so far been associated with celiac disease.

Children more often exhibit the classical symptoms (mostly gastrointestinal) whereas in adults, the symptoms are mostly atypical or extra-intestinal. Non-bloody diarrhea, weight loss and iron deficiency anemia are the most common symptoms in adults.

Onset of symptoms can happen at any age. In India, most of the diagnosed cases are children but in countries where this disease was established 3-4 decades ago, about 20% or more of newly diagnosed cases are adults. Thus, the notion that this is a childhood disease, no longer holds true.

The understanding of symptoms is evolving with time, e.g., a large number of individuals with celiac disease are now considered to be asymptomatic – i.e. exhibit no symptoms but may still have high tTG values and even intestinal damage; celiac disease was never considered in an obese individual earlier but about 5-20% of all patients with celiac disease are now reported to be obese.

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