Diseases Caused by Gluten Intolerance
by Angela Morken

There are many different diseases caused by the inability of the body to process gluten. The problem is that most of these disorders are unnamed, little research has been carried out on them and the symptoms vary greatly. Other than celiac disease, the most well-known, these other gluten-related disorders have been given non-official names such as gluten intolerance and non-celiac gluten intolerance.

Tests do exist for celiac disease. These include a blood test to detect anti-gluten antibodies and a biopsy of the small intestine to look for lining erosion. However, if there is a lack of gluten in your system, fewer antibodies are released and the tests come back negative. In the case of the intestinal biopsy that looks for damage to the small intestine, if you stop eating gluten, or don't eat enough gluten, the damage heals relatively quickly and may not be detected. Some cases of true celiac may be missed due to a patient not eating enough gluten during the testing process.

Gluten intolerance sufferers can have a wide variety of symptoms which may include difficulty walking, slurred speech, depression, anxiety, anger control issues, chronic fatigue, ADD/ADHD, migraines, seizures, autism, neuropathy, memory and concentration problems, pain and mobility issues similar to multiple sclerosis, exhaustion, infertility, repeated miscarriages, or even the classic symptoms of celiac disease.

There are over 200 symptoms of celiac disease, many of which are not related to the classic form of celiac, which is mostly gastrointestinal in nature. In the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms, it may not even occur to your doctor to test for celiac or recommend a trial of the gluten-free diet.

Gluten intolerance is generally discovered by chance. This usually occurs when the person who feels that he may be suffering from gluten intolerance anyway, despite negative test results, decides to go on a gluten-free diet. In some cases, the diet will produce life-changing improvement in a matter of weeks, or even days.

If you are considering a trial of the gluten-free diet to determine if your symptoms may be gluten-related, it is very important that you see your doctor first for testing related to your specific symptoms. Although the gluten-free diet may improve or eliminate some of your symptoms, it is important that you and your doctor make sure nothing more serious is causing your symptoms before you try the gluten-free diet. For more information on the atypical forms of celiac, the best source of information is from people with non-celiac gluten intolerance.