For people with celiac disease, consuming gluten — a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and some other grains — leads to damage to the lining of the small intestine, resulting in the inability to properly absorb nutrients into the body. Left untreated or insufficiently treated, celiac disease can lead to damage to other organs.

If your doctor suspects that you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, he or she may use blood tests — also called serological tests — to look for antibodies that the body produces when someone with a sensitivity or celiac disease eats gluten. You have to be eating gluten for an extended length of time before blood testing.

Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity share some of the same symptoms. Although the actual damage occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, specifically in the small intestine, the symptoms manifest in many different ways and often show up throughout your entire body. Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease have hundreds of symptoms; the following lists don’t contain them all, but are a good sampling: Gastrointestinal symptoms: These are some of the “classic” — although not the most common — symptoms of celiac disease: Abdominal pain and distension Acid reflux Bloating Constipation Diarrhea Gas and flatulence Greasy, foul-smelling, floating stools Nausea Vomiting Weight loss or weight gain Nongastrointestinal symptoms: Interestingly, although gluten sensitivity and celiac disease affect the gut, most people’s symptoms are not gastrointestinal in nature.

The most widely accepted testing protocol for celiac disease (basically, the inability to digest gluten) includes a blood test followed by an intestinal biopsy, though there isn’t an exact science behind the diagnosis. You may be given the following tests in search of a diagnosis: Blood tests Biopsies Urine tests Stool tests Genetic tests The real diagnosis comes after the tests: with the results.

If you have celiac disease, you need to maintain a gluten-free diet to stay healthy, but shopping for foods without gluten can be a challenge. Here are some tips to help you avoid gluten-containing foods and find gluten-free foods in your grocery store: Become a label-reader. In North America, it is the law that food that contains gluten must say so on the label.

Although you may not have any of the symptoms of celiac disease, you may still have the condition and be endangering your health through the consumption of gluten. Some people without symptoms of celiac disease should consider being screened for the ailment, which usually involves blood tests and always involves taking a biopsy if the blood test is positive.

If you or your child has celiac disease, you can still live healthy, active, full, rich and rewarding lives. Staying gluten-free is just one part of not just surviving but thriving with celiac disease. Follow these helpful tips and you’ll be well on your way to living successfully: Strive to be healthy. Commit to living gluten-free, eating nutritiously and exercising regularly.

Do you suspect that you or someone in your family has celiac disease and maybe you or they should give up gluten? Symptoms of undiagnosed or insufficiently treated celiac disease can vary greatly in their nature and number (including having no symptoms at all), but some symptoms are more common than others. If you have one or more of the following symptoms — especially if persisting and/or severe — speak to your doctor about the possibility you that have celiac disease: Gastrointestinal symptoms, especially Diarrhea Stools that are bulky, foul-smelling, and stick to the toilet bowl Abdominal bloating, especially after meals Indigestion, reflux, heartburn Unexplained or unexpected weight loss Small, intensely itchy, pinkish blisters on the elbows, knees, or buttocks (less often on the shoulders, scalp, face, and back).