Although classically considered celiac disease gastrointestinal symptoms occurred only at present are becoming more numerous symptoms that are attributed to this disease. Therefore, we can distinguish two major groups:
Classic Celiac Disease
In classic celiac disease gastrointestinal symptoms predominate. Appears especially in children under two years, and adults in their thirties and forties.
The most common symptoms are: diarrhea with bulky stools, smelly, bright, vomiting, poor appetite and weight loss. The child usually shows a malnourished appearance, sad, bloating or swelling of the abdomen and buttocks flattened.
The severity of the disease depend on age of onset and the time elapsed until diagnosis and treatment. For this reason and to avoid severe forms, in all children is recommended delaying the introduction of gluten, at least until six months old.
Atypical Celiac Disease
This includes those forms of disease presentation in which non-gastrointestinal symptoms predominate. Can occur at any age but by age one or the other symptoms prevail:
- Stunting. May be the only presenting symptom of celiac disease. Therefore, the study of children with short stature should be discarded disease.
- The delayed development and puberty.
- The iron-deficiency anemia unresponsive to treatment.
- Mouth sores. The best known is an alteration of tooth enamel (hypoplasia), but are also frequent repetition or canker sores (small painful sores on the tongue, gums and palate) and others.
Other forms of presentation of celiac disease are much less frequent:
Neurological forms
Epilepsies have been reported with cerebral calcifications, ataxia or gait instability and other less frequent neurologic disorders.
Psychiatric forms
Psychiatric forms with behavioral disorders, depression, etc..
Other symptoms
Other symptoms such as osteoporosis (weak bones) and bone pain, repeated abortions and infertility, joint pain, abnormal liver function tests (“hepatitis”), constipation, edema.
