The digestive condition celiac disease may not show itself if you stay away from foods that contain rye, barley or wheat. However, since these grains are common in most people's diets, if you have celiac disease, eating them and thus ingesting the gluten found therein, symptoms may begin. The disease causes an intestinal immune reaction in which the small intestines get damaged on the surface. Nutrients no longer may be absorbed into your system and that can cause deficiencies of vitamins.
Mental
While common celiac disease symptoms, such as diarrhea that is intermittent, abdominal bloating and pain in the abdomen, may be obviously indicative of a problem in your intestines, other symptoms do not appear to directly connect. For example, you may experience mental depression as a symptom, or you may find yourself getting more irritated with people or routine things in your life than normal.
Body
Celiac disease can affect various areas of your body in non-obvious ways. For example, you can become anemic, a condition in which there is not enough oxygen in your blood. You also may experience cramps in your muscles or pain in your joints. There also may be fatigue and weakness in your body. This is possible because you are not getting the total amount of vitamins you normally would get if nutrients were being absorbed in the small intestines. This same lack of vitamins can stunt the growth of children who have celiac disease, and it can cause osteoporosis in which your bones become lose density making them brittle.
Other Symptoms
Celiac disease also can show itself indirectly by causing such symptoms as an upset stomach, sores in your mouth, neuropathy in your feet and legs that makes them tingle and a rash on the skin. Lack of absorbed vitamins and nutrients can cause you to lose weight, get diarrhea and produce stools that are discolored, usually gray, and that smell bad. Your stools also may appear oily or fatty as symptoms of celiac disease.
