Does your body, especially your small intestine, throw a fit every time you consume gluten? How do you know if it is gluten intolerance known as celiac disease? One way to know is to ask you doctor to do blood tests which will show a high proportion of anti-bodies in your blood. It is well worth the time out of your busy schedule to go for a test only to diagnose the link between gluten intolerance and your current symptoms. Read ahead and find out more about gluten intolerance symptoms seen in an affected person.
Gluten intolerance leads to two different problems in your body.
- Your body will absorb nutrients in an improper manner leading to health problems.
- Your body will simply not absorb certain nutrients leading to malnutrition and related health problems.
More often than not, people focus on the illnesses only and fail to recognize that the illnesses are warnings sent by the body to indicate that something is seriously wrong with its functioning.
Some common mal-absorption symptoms include
- Abdominal cramps
- Excessive gas
- Diarrhea or constipation
- A feeling of fatigue and weakness even in absence of rigorous activity
- Very foul smelling stools
- Weak bones (if left unchecked, persons suffering from gluten intolerance suffer from osteoporosis)
- Sudden weight loss or gain which does not get reversed easily
These symptoms occur regularly due to the flattening of the villa in the small intestine which leads to improper absorption of nutrients.
The allergic reaction in the small intestine makes it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients efficiently. Hence, a person suffering from gluten intolerance may suffer from malnutrition despite having a seemingly healthy diet. It is not that the person does not eat nutritious food. It is just that the body is incapable of absorbing the nutrients leading to malnutrition.
The combination of mal-absorption or non-absorption of nutrients combined with the knowledge that gluten is present in your diet should be sufficient to set of the warning bells. The presence of any of these symptoms should be communicated to your doctor.
Another factor which affects the onset of gluten intolerance is stress. People who are already at risk of gluten intolerance face an every higher risk if they take on a lot of emotional stress. Worrying over the completion of the project on time may be appreciated by your boss. However, the stress puts you at higher risk of suffering from gluten intolerance.
A look at the symptoms is sufficient to understand that there is hardly any specific symptom of gluten intolerance which is unique and unrelated to other illnesses. Hence, the possibility of a symptom being misdiagnosed as that of any other illness is always present. You will have to work with your doctor and lay down all the facts on the table to ensure the correct diagnosis is done as quickly as possible.
