Celiac disease is a problem some people have with foods that contain gluten. Gluten is a type of protein. It's found in the grains wheat, barley, rye, and triticale (a wheat-rye cross).

When you have this disease and you eat food with gluten in it, the gluten triggers an immune response that is not normal. This damages the inside of your small intestine so that it can't do a good job of absorbing nutrients from your food.

It's important to get treatment, because celiac disease can:

Lead to anemia.

Lead to osteoporosis.

Raise your risk of lymphoma.

In children, celiac disease can slow growth and weaken bones. If it isn't treated, your child can get very sick. Call a doctor if your child is losing a lot of weight, has diarrhea, or feels weak and tired for many days for no reason.

Doctors don't really know what causes the disease. Having certain genes can increase your chance of getting it. You're more likely to have these genes and get celiac disease if a close family member has the disease.

Symptoms of celiac disease include:

Gas and bloating.

Changes in bowel movements.

Weight loss.

Feeling very tired.

Weakness.

These symptoms can be very mild.

Some people vomit after they eat gluten. This is more likely to happen in children than in adults.

Your doctor will ask questions about your symptoms and do a physical exam.

You may have blood tests to see if you have certain antibodies that could mean you have the disease.

To make sure you have celiac disease, you will probably have an endoscopy. In this test, a doctor uses a thin, lighted tube to look at the inside of your small intestine. Your doctor can also take small samples of tissue to be tested in a lab. This is called a biopsy.

Often celiac disease is mistaken for another problem such as food intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome. You may be treated for one of these problems first.

After your celiac disease diagnosis, your doctor may do more tests, such as blood tests to check for anemia. You may also have a bone density exam. These tests will help your doctor find out if you have other problems, such as osteoporosis, that can arise when you have celiac disease.

To get and stay well, you need to avoid all foods that have gluten. For many people, this means changing everything about the way they eat. This can be challenging. For help, work with a dietitian who has experience with gluten-free diets. Together you can find foods you like that don't have gluten.

Avoid all foods made with wheat, rye, barley, or triticale. Don't drink any beer or ale.

You can still eat eggs, meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables. Flours and foods made with amaranth, arrowroot, beans, buckwheat, corn, cornmeal, flax, millet, potatoes, pure uncontaminated nut and oat bran, quinoa, rice, sorghum, soybeans, tapioca, or teff are also okay. Within 2 weeks after starting a gluten-free eating plan, most people find that their symptoms start to get better.

For a short time after your treatment starts, you might also need to stop drinking cow's milk and foods made with it. Most of the time, but not always, people can have these foods again after their intestine has healed.

Some foods that are labeled "wheat-free" may still have gluten. Gluten can be in things you may not expect, like medicine, vitamins, and lipstick. Be sure to read labels.

Watch out for the following phrases. They could mean that a product contains gluten:

"Modified food starch."

"Hydrolyzed vegetable protein."

- Exams and Tests

A medical history, physical exam, and lab tests often point to celiac disease. The diagnosis is confirmed with a small intestine biopsy collected during an endoscopy, where a small tube is guided down a person's throat to the small intestine.

Tests for celiac disease should be done when you or your child is still eating a diet that includes gluten. If you have already started a gluten-free diet before these tests are done, the doctor may suggest that you or your child eat a certain amount of gluten before the tests.

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Blood antibody tests

Celiac disease triggers the immune system to produce certain antibodies. Blood tests that find and measure these antibodies include:

IgAtTG: Immunoglobulin A (IgA) anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibody.

IgAEMA: Immunoglobulin A (IgA) antiendomysial antibody (EMA).

Endoscopy

A biopsy taken during an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy may be done to confirm celiac disease after antibodies have been found. Sometimes a biopsy detects celiac disease when a person is being tested for another condition.

If the biopsy shows signs of celiac disease (such as abnormal villi and inflammation in the small intestine), a gluten-free diet will be recommended.

A diagnosis of celiac disease is confirmed if the diet makes symptoms go away and if antibody tests become normal.

Other tests

Other tests that may be done include:

Blood tests, such as:

A complete blood count to test for anemia.

A chemistry screen, to check for mineral and electrolyte imbalances.

Cholesterol and triglycerides tests.

Thyroid hormone tests, to check for thyroid problems. The treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet. Eating even the smallest amount of gluten can cause symptoms such as weight loss and diarrhea.

A gluten-free diet means:

Important It is possible that the main title of the report Celiac Disease is not the name you expected. Please check the synonyms listing to find the alternate name(s) and disorder subdivision(s) covered by this report.

Read the Celiac Disease article > >

Avoiding all foods with wheat, barley, rye, triticale (a wheat-rye cross), or oats. Oats may later be gradually reintroduced into the diet.

Avoiding beer unless it is gluten-free. Beers with and without alcohol, including lagers, ales, and stouts, contain gluten unless the label specifically says that the beer is gluten-free.

Eating meals that include rice, corn, millet, and buckwheat.

You may also be advised to temporarily avoid milk or milk products until your intestine heals. Then you may be able to gradually reintroduce them.

For more information about following a gluten-free diet, see Home Treatment.

If you have nutritional deficiencies, you may need other treatments, such as vitamin, iron, and calcium supplements.

Treatment for complications varies depending on the specific problems and their severity. For example, some adults may require long-term treatment for complications, such as osteoporosis.

When a gluten-free diet doesn't seem to help

If it seems that you or your child is not getting better, you may need:

A diet evaluation to ensure that it is gluten-free. Your doctor or dietitian can help you find out if you are eating foods with hidden gluten. Older children and teens may need to be reminded about the importance of staying with the diet.

Testing for other diseases or conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, if no gluten is detected in your diet.

Reevaluation of your original upper endoscopy and biopsy to ensure the accuracy of diagnosis.

Oral steroids (in very rare cases). Experts disagree about using steroid medicines to treat people who have celiac disease and do not get better on a gluten-free diet.

Bone density testBone density test. This may be done to see if you have problems such as osteomalacia (known as rickets in children) or osteoporosis, which may develop in some people with celiac disease.

Tests to look for other conditions and diseases may be needed if a diagnosis of celiac disease is suspected but symptoms don't improve with a gluten-free diet.

You can prepare your child for these tests. Knowing why tests are being done and what to expect can help make the tests less scary.

If you already have celiac disease, you can prevent symptoms-and damage to your small intestine-by eating a gluten-free diet.

Some adults with celiac disease have a poorly functioning or nonfunctional spleen, which is a risk factor for developing a pneumococcal infection. For this reason, your doctor may recommend that you get immunized with the pneumococcal vaccine

WebMD Medical Last Updated: November 14, 2014 This information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor.