Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance

Learn more about the signs you may have an intolerance to gluten

Gluten intolerance, or celiac disease, has a wide range of symptoms. Since most of them are also common to other more widely-recognized health conditions, many people don’t even realize they have the disease. Here are some signs to look out for.

Common symptoms for many patients, especially children, include:

• Bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Canker sores
• Diarrhea
• Constipation

Others have no gastrointestinal (GI) issues, though. Instead, they may experience seemingly unrelated symptoms such as:

• Weight loss
• Stunted growth
• Iron-deficiency anemia
• Bone pain
• Fatigue
• Thinning hair
• Itchy skin

But all of these are signs of nutritional deficiencies brought on by malabsorption due to damaged villi.

Affected individuals may also have neurological problems, such as:

• Numbness
• Depression
• Anxiety
• ADHD
• Autism
• Seizures
• Dementia
• Psychotic episodes

Some researchers theorize that these are caused by poorly digested proteins that, due to damage to the intestines (leaky gut), pass into the bloodstream. They are then able to cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to opioid receptors, where they wreak neurological havoc.

Whatever the reason, patients who get off gluten often have remarkable improvements.