Celiac disease causes a wide variety of symptoms. Not everyone will have the same symptoms. Some will have no symptoms at all. Some people have it but the disease has not yet become active. Common triggers are pregnancy, childbirth, surgery, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.
But the long and short of it is that a person who has this allergic reaction to gluten, and continues to ingest it, is slowly starving to death. Their small intestines are being damaged.
Villi, which are tiny, finger-like protrusions that line the small intestines, allow nutrients in food to be absorbed into the bloodstream. The allergic reaction destroys the villi.
So, in other words, they suffer from malnutrition - no matter how much nutritious food they eat.
Gluten intolerance is a genetic disease. It was once considered uncommon is the US but recent studies have proven otherwise. Now it is estimated that 1 in 133 people in the US have it, and if a first-degree relative of yours has it and has been diagnosed (mother, father, sister, or brother), then your chances are 1 in 22.
Infants will fail to thrive and children will be small in stature. One of the most common symptoms in children is irritability. There seems to be a link between autism and food allergies - not that food allergies cause autism, but that a great number of autistic, hyperactive, inattentive children have food allergies.
Adults with celiac disease are at a greater risk for several serious diseases. Among these are Lymphoma and adenocarcinoma (cancers that develop in the intestines); Osteoporosis (caused by poor calcium absorption); Miscarriage and congenital malformation of the baby (because the pregnant woman is not well-nourished).
Some of the most common symptoms are:
recurring abdominal bloating and pain
gas
constipation
fatty, foul-smelling, or pale stool
unexplained anemia
seizures
muscle cramps
infertility, recurrent miscarriage
aphthous ulcers (pale sores in the mouth)
behavioral changes
tingling numbness in the legs from nerve damage
chronic diarrhea
fatigue
bone or joint pain
osteoporosis
tooth discoloration or loss of enamel
skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis
It is important to know that even if you show no symptoms, you are still at risk for the complications of gluten intolerance.
Weight loss, delayed growth, and anemia are signs of malnutrition.