Step 1: You eat a diet containing gluten for about six weeks. During this time, your healthcare provider performs blood tests and skin tests to rule out a wheat allergy or celiac disease. There isn't a gluten intolerance test.
“Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, whereas gluten intolerance is a sensitivity,” says Northwestern Memorial Hospital Clinical Dietitian Bethany Doerfler, MS, RD, LDN.
Gluten and Lactose Intolerance
Bloating, stomach cramps, leaky gut syndrome, acid reflux, skin problems, nausea and diarrhoea are all symptoms of dairy intolerance and are shared symptoms with coeliac. Other signs of gluten intolerance include infertility, hormone imbalance, chronic fatigue, anxiety and depression.
In classical celiac disease, patients have signs and symptoms of malabsorption, including diarrhea, steatorrhea (pale, foul-smelling, fatty stools), and weight loss or growth failure in children.
Despite awareness efforts, celiac disease is often confused with other gluten-related disorders — like non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) or a wheat allergy.
Blood Tests
Your doctor tests your blood to look for unusually high levels of these antibodies. The blood test is not reliable unless you have been regularly eating gluten. If you have been on a gluten-free diet, the doctor may recommend eating foods containing gluten for two to four weeks before the blood test.
Celiac disease can be painful. Some common pain symptoms are: Stomach pain or swelling (bloating) that keeps coming back. Muscle cramps or bone pain.
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is a condition characterized by intestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms related to the ingestion of gluten-containing foods in the absence of celiac disease and wheat allergy.
Digestive issues after eating gluten can be a huge sign that you might be intolerant. This can include symptoms like gas, diarrhea, and constipation. Having these symptoms occasionally is pretty normal, but having them every day can indicate a problem.
Gluten belly, also known as wheat belly, is a common phrase that refers to stomach swelling after eating gluten as a result of bloating. Along with bloating, one may also develop symptoms such as stomach pain, flatulence, or irregular bowel movements.
The possible reasons behind this change may include a stressful event (examples are suffering from an injury or death of a loved one), antibiotics, and surgery. Meanwhile, other medical practitioners think our body's resistance to autoimmune diseases like coeliac disease naturally weakens over time.
Silent celiac disease occurs when people do not have the typical digestive symptoms of the condition when they consume gluten. While a person may not have symptoms (or even an official diagnosis) of celiac, the damage to the intestines from the disease is still taking place.
“There are some instances where blood tests are borderline positive or mildly positive,” Adams added, “and the patient doesn't actually have celiac disease.” A positive blood test but a negative biopsy could indicate a different autoimmune disease and warrant further testing, Adams explained.
If you're extremely sensitive to even trace amounts of gluten, you may experience symptoms within minutes of ingestion – similar to an allergy. In many cases, however, symptoms don't develop until one to twelve hours after exposure. For some, symptoms take days or even weeks to manifest.
In fact, if your body can't process gluten you can have many problems including weight gain. However, weight gain isn't as common as weight loss. With gluten intolerance, your body has trouble absorbing the protein gluten that's found in wheat, barley, and rye.
Ocular conditions associated with celiac disease include: Dry eyes: Dry eyes develop when you cannot produce adequate tears to keep your eye moist. Dry eyes related to celiac disease may develop from a vitamin A deficiency. Cataracts: Cataracts may also develop due to malnutrition.
GLUTEN FACE
What it looks like. A typical gluten face will present with red, puffy cheeks, with spots of hyperpigmentation around the chin. Some people will also have pimples spread out over the chin. Your face can also become bloated or swollen.
People who develop celiac disease later in life can have eaten gluten for many years without having a negative reaction. Studies suggest that a shift could be caused by the body reaching its breaking point after a lifetime of eating gluten. Stress and other environmental conditions may also be a part of the change.