celiac symptoms?

[Sallysweets]

Hi I'm a little worried about my daughters having celiac and I was wondering if you could give me a better idea of what the symptoms are. I have a five yr that was dx'd in may of 07 with diabetes she is skinny besides her belly and has been complaining of stomach pain a lot but doesn't have ketones and isn't sick, she also has problem with constipation. My other daughter who is non d had GI problems when she was 2 yrs old but after testing for everything including celiac they blamed it on toddlers diarrhea. Now she is having problems with diarrhea again, eats all the time but is really skinny, also she is very pale. Do you think I should have them tested or am I way off base here?

[aklap]

Hi,

The symptoms of CD can vary widely from no outwardly visible to over 200. "Skinny besides her belly" [abdominal distention] could be from malnutrition - like those pictures you see of starving children. Scroll thru this PDF, you'll see some pictures (http://celiachealth.org/pdf/clinical_manifestations.pdf). Also, eating all the time and still skinny would make you wonder if she's absorbing food properly.

Here's some more symptoms and links (http://forums.glutenfree.com/viewtopic.php?p=143).

Often times doctors will look for Classic CD symptoms - this includes diarrhea. Constipation is sx that is often overlooked and falls into the Atypical category [which ironically is the norm in CD].

http://www.celiachealth.org/cms/en/PatientsAndFamilies/PF/PatientsFamilies_Diagnostics.aspx?menu=patientsand families

The following is a list of most of the signs and symptoms that are associated with celiac disease in children. It should be noted that not all signs and symptoms occur with each chld.

Diarrhea or, more rarely, constipation
Foul-smelling stool
Vomiting
Decreased appetite
Weight loss or failure to gain weight
Slowed growth
Irritability
Anemia or decreased oxygen-transporting material in the blood causing fatigue
and pale complexion
Abdominal distension
Abdominal pain in some cases
Decreased muscle mass in the limbs
Damage to tooth enamel or failure of enamel formation
Delayed puberty
Itchy skin rash known as dermatitis herpetiformis (more common in adults


http://www.celiachealth.org/cms/en/MedicalProfessionals/MedicalProfessionals_ProfessionalEducationResource .aspx?menu=medical

The problem with testing young children [<3-5 years], is that it's felt that they are too young to produce the antibodies...thus skewing the blood test results.

http://www.uchospitals.edu/specialties/celiac/fact-sheets/index.html - Don't miss the Symptoms of CD PDF.

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/

It sounds like you're on the right track. This is something that I would not let drop and investigate fully! CD is genetic, so look thru your families to see if you see any of the symptoms in yourselves or relatives.

Good luck in your knowledge quest!

[Sallysweets]

Thank you for the information!

[MamaC]

Skinny besides her belly and constipation were my daughter's biggest symptoms.

I'd have her checked.

Becky