Symptoms of Celiac

There are so many symptoms that can be connected with CD, it seems almost impossible to diagnose. It is no wonder so many people do not receive a proper diagnosis until their particular combination of symptoms can no longer be ignored.

I found a website called Gluten Free Works, which has an extremely comprehensive list of symptoms of Celiac by body sytem. I have listed here only the symptoms that pertain to me, or to my children:

• Weight Gain (unexplained): I gained almost 20 pounds in a year without any significant changes in my diet. I thought it was just my age.
• Abdominal bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Heartburn
• Allergic Rhinitis
• Urticaria, chronic (hives)
• Eczema
• Koilonychia (Thin nails that flatten, ends progressively turning up instead of down): I have noticed over the past three months at least, that I cannot seem to grow my fingernails. They are either too soft or too brittle. Lately, the tips of my nails (not all of them) are bending upward. So I cut them and they are extremely short.
• Nails, Dry and brittle that chip, peel, crack or break easily
• Seborrhea
• Thin hair: My hair has always been thin but lately I seem to be losing even more hair.
• Anxiety
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Depression
• Headaches
• Inability to concentrate
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Migraine
• Tremors
• Nightblindness
• Urinary Tract Infection (Kidney infections in my case)
• Amenorrhea
• Late Menarche (I was 15 years old)
• Complications during pregnancy: During my first pregnancy, I lost more weight than I gained. By my fourth pregnancy, I was so extremely ill I was very nearly ketotic. I could not tolerate either food or water.

Many of the above symptoms I have also seen in my children, plus these additional symptoms:

• congential anomalies
• Autism and learning disorders
• ADHD
• Gums bleeding/swollen (red in children)
• Lactose intolerance
• Asthma

I am fairly certain the majority of my children also have CD. Am looking forward to finding answers.