How do symptoms of celiac disease differ with age of onset? continued...
Adults with celiac disease may have symptoms of diarrhea, steatorrhea, weight loss and flatulence; however, many adults do not have diarrhea or steatorrhea. They have either no symptoms or only vague abdominal discomfort such as bloating, abdominal distension and excess gas. They also may have only one, or only a few signs of malnutrition such as iron deficiency anemia, abnormal bleeding, or bone fractures. Some patients with celiac disease and gastrointestinal symptoms are mistakenly diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. For more information, please see the Irritable Bowel Syndrome article.
There have been changes during the past 20 years in the way in which celiac disease is diagnosed. The average age at which celiac disease is diagnosed has increased, probably because of the increased awareness that the disease can first cause symptoms or signs in adults. Whereas diarrhea was the initial symptom in 80% of patients, it now is the initial symptom in only 40%. A small proportion of patients-about 15%--are now diagnosed with blood antibody tests because they have a close relative with celiac disease and they are being screened to see if they also have the disease.
