Gluten intolerance or celiac sprue manifests with a wide variety of symptoms, including joint pain. Celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine, causing the body to attack itself. The consequences of untreated celiac sprue are long-reaching and may include conditions that affect your bones and joints, like arthritis and osteoporosis. Consult your physician before you make any dietary changes to manage joint pain.
Gluten
Gluten is made up of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin, found in wheat, rye and barley. When combined with moisture, these form gluten. Gluten is stretchy and elastic, giving bread its characteristic chewy texture while trapping air into the loaf. During digestion, your body breaks wheat gluten down into peptides made up of strings of amino acids. At least one, and possibly more, of these peptides are linked to the damage in the small intestine of those with celiac disease.
Celiac Disease
If you are gluten intolerant, your body reacts by attacking the villi, or small fingerlike protrusions, that line the small intestine. The villi allow nutrients to be absorbed through the small intestine into the bloodstream. If the villi are damaged, vitamin malabsorption is inevitable. Blood testing and biopsies of the small intestine can diagnose celiac disease. However, some individuals with gluten sensitivity may experience symptoms similar to celiac disease, including joint pain, without damage to the villi lining the small intestine.
Joint Complications
One of the primary difficulties in distinguishing between celiac disease and gluten sensitivity is the wide range of symptoms associated with these disorders. In children, digestive difficulties are common, but adults may exhibit joint pain, fatigue, arthritis, osteoporosis or bone pain, as well as other symptoms. Your unexplained joint pain may be misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome or another condition when it is caused by gluten intolerance.
Treatment
The only treatment available for the joint pain caused by celiac disease is a gluten-free diet. These diets require that you avoid all foods containing any trace of gluten, including bread, pasta and many processed foods. Medications, lip balms and cosmetics with gluten can also cause reactions. Over time, your gluten-free diet allows your intestine to heal, correcting symptoms for most individuals. In a few cases, the damage is so severe that it is not resolved with a gluten-free diet.
