Coeliac disease

Coeliac disease is a common autoimmune condition where the immune system in a person’s intestine (gut) reacts when they eat gluten. This causes chronic inflammation.

Symptoms

Coeliac disease can cause a wide range of symptoms in the digestive system and rest of the body.

Symptoms can develop at any age, but coeliac disease is most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 60 years.

More about the symptoms of coeliac disease or what is coeliac disease?


Symptoms of coeliac disease vary from person to person and can range from mild to severe.

Some people may have no symptoms at all.

Sometimes the symptoms of coeliac disease are mistaken for:

irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) wheat intolerance stress just getting older


Some common symptoms of coeliac disease include:

severe diarrhoea, excessive wind and/or constipation persistent or unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting recurrent stomach pain, cramping or bloating iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency anaemia tiredness sudden or unexpected weight loss (but not in all cases) mouth ulcers skin rash (dermatitis herpetiformis) depression repeated miscarriages neurological (nerve) problems such as ataxia (loss of coordination, poor balance) and peripheral neuropathy (numbness and tingling in the hands and feet)

If you’ve any of these symptoms, speak to your GP. You must continue eating gluten as part of your diet until you’ve been diagnosed.

You can also take Coeliac UK’s online assessment.

Symptoms in children

Children with coeliac disease might also not grow at the expected rate, or be late to reach puberty.