What are the symptoms of celiac disease, and how is it diagnosed?
1) The symptoms of celiac disease range very widely, particularly in kids or children, it tends to be more of GI issues with diarrhea or constipation, abdominal bloating, abdominal cramping or discomfort. They can also be irritable and tired. In adults, it tends to be more non-specific, more vague symptoms. Again, the irritability, moodiness, weight loss. It can bring on some of the GI symptoms, but it's not as prevalent in adults as it is in kids. It's oftentimes a difficult thing to diagnose because the symptoms are very non-specific.
2) Celiac disease can be diagnosed with a blood test that looks for the antibodies to the autoimmune system that's gone haywire. That is an indicator, but it's not the finite diagnosis. The proven diagnosis is by an endoscopy down the esophagus and then a biopsy of the small intestine that proves the tissue is actually undergoing damage and is the result of the autoimmune attack.
