The most common neurological symptoms in people with coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity are ataxia and neuropathy. Ataxia includes clumsiness, loss of balance and uncoordinated movements leading to a tendency to fall and slurred speech.
Celiac disease (CD) long has been associated with neurologic and psychiatric disorders including cerebellar ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, epilepsy, dementia, and depression. Earlier reports mainly have documented the involvement of the nervous system as a complication of prediagnosed CD.
The best-characterized neurologic complication related to gluten sensitivity is ataxia, now termed “gluten ataxia”. Gluten ataxia is characterized by positive anti-gliadin antibodies, changes in the cerebellum, and ataxic symptoms including upper or lower limb ataxia, gait ataxia, and dysarthria [11].
Untreated celiac disease can lead to the development of other autoimmune disorders like type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS), and many other conditions, including dermatitis herpetiformis (an itchy skin rash), anemia, osteoporosis, infertility and miscarriage, neurological conditions like epilepsy and migraines, ...
However, celiac disease is much more than a digestive problem. Some of the top atypical symptoms are anemia, bones disease, elevated liver enzymes, neurological problems like migraines, short stature and reproductive problems.
Celiac disease is clinically defined as classic, non-classic, subclinical, potential, and refractory.
Stage 4 is the most advanced stage and fortunately isn't seen all that often. 4 In stage 4, your villi are totally flattened (atrophied) the depressions between them (the crypts) are shrunken as well. Stage 4 is most common amongst older people with celiac disease.
Other autoimmune diseases that may occur along with celiac disease include dermatitis herpetiformis, collagen vascular disease, and Sjogren's syndrome.
Sometimes celiac disease becomes active after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection or severe emotional stress. When the body's immune system overreacts to gluten in food, the reaction damages the tiny, hairlike projections (villi) that line the small intestine.
Cataract. Cataracts associated with celiac disease have been reported in the literature–. Malabsorption can be caused by chronic diarrhea. A severe vitamin D deficiency due to the malabsorptive syndrome interferes with the absorption of calcium, and the resulting hypocalcemia contributes to the development of cataracts ...
Gluten causes symptoms, in both celiac disease and non-celiac gluten-sensitivity, by its adverse actions on the nervous system. Many celiac patients experience neurological symptoms, frequently associated with malfunction of the autonomic nervous system.
This, among other research, suggests it is one of the most common symptoms of celiac disease and NCGS. The most commonly-chosen descriptors of brain fog were difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, and grogginess.
The most common manifestation of celiac dis- ease neuropathy is pain, tingling and numbness in the feet (Figure 2). Some patients present with asymmetrical sensory symptoms, or even pain in the face (Figure 3). Muscle weakness and autonomic symptoms are less common in celiac disease neuropathy.
Celiac disease is autoimmune disorder of the small intestine triggered by the ingestion of gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains. Most people with the disorder carry genetic factors strongly linked to MS, and the disease has been associated with a greater risk of nerve damage.
Common symptoms of celiac disease may include constipation or diarrhea, food intolerance, and abdominal pain, but as noted, other symptoms may crossover with MS, including brain fog, depression, and even peripheral neuropathy.
The autoimmune conditions most associated with celiac disease are type 1 diabetes and autoimmune thyroid disease. The tendency to develop autoimmune diseases is believed to be genetically influenced.
The amount of pizza we're eating has gone up dramatically. The amount of fast food that we eat, of course, has increased dramatically," says Dr. Murray. There also may be a dose effect of gluten in those who are at a genetic risk.
“Experts used to think people were born with the risk of celiac disease and would develop it as soon as they ate gluten,” says Dr. Rubio Tapia. “But now we know you can develop celiac disease at any age.”
Most people with celiac disease will have a normal life-expectancy, providing they are able to manage the condition by adhering to a lifelong gluten-free diet. Gluten is not an essential part of your diet, so can be safely removed from your diet and replaced with 'safe' foods, or gluten-free alternatives.
However, everyone with celiac disease is still at risk for long-term complications. Celiac disease can develop at any age after people start eating foods or medications that contain gluten. The later the age of celiac disease diagnosis, the greater the chance of developing another autoimmune disorder.
Over time, a range of problems may develop as a result of the body's reaction to gluten — from skin rashes and lactose intolerance to infertility, bone weakness and nerve damage. These can often happen even in the absence of digestive symptoms.
Also called the “gluten rash” or the “celiac rash,” the same gluten antibodies that damage your small intestine in celiac disease cause this condition. Dermatitis herpetiformis manifests as an itchy rash that looks like clusters of bumps or blisters. It typically affects your elbows, knees, buttocks or scalp.