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Ask most people what the most common symptom of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity is and, if they know anything about either one (and don’t look at you and say, “Huh?”), they’ll most likely erupt in a loud, unabashed, confident chorus of “diarrhea, diarrhea, diarrhea!”

Yet most people with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity don’t have diarrhea. In fact, they don’t have any gastrointestinal symptoms at all! And if they do have gastrointestinal symptoms, they’re often constipated, or they suffer reflux or gas and bloating.

Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease have hundreds of symptoms. The following sections list some of the more common ones, starting with the symptoms that are gastrointestinal in nature.

Pinpointing gastrointestinal symptoms

The gastrointestinal symptoms of gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are vast. Although most people think diarrhea is the most common symptom, gastrointestinal symptoms can include constipation, gas, bloating, reflux, and even vomiting.

These are some of the “classic” – though 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

Checking out non-gastrointestinal symptoms

Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are gastrointestinal conditions because the damage is done to the small intestine. But people more commonly have what are called extraintestinal (outside the intestine) symptoms. These make up an extensive list of more than 250 symptoms, including the following:

✔ Fatigue and weakness (due to iron-deficiency anemia)

✔ Vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies

✔ Headaches (including migraines)

✔ Joint or bone pain

✔ Depression, irritability, listlessness, and mood disorders

✔ “Fuzzy brain” or an inability to concentrate

✔ Infertility

✔ Abnormal menstrual cycles

✔ Dental enamel deficiencies and irregularities

✔ Seizures

✔ Ataxia (bad balance)

✔ Nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy)

✔ Respiratory problems

✔ Canker sores (aphthous ulcers)

✔ Lactose intolerance

✔ Eczema/psoriasis

✔ Rosacea (a skin disorder)

✔ Acne

✔ Hashimoto’s disease, Sjögren’s syndrome, lupus erythematosus, and other autoimmune disorders

✔ Early onset osteoporosis

✔ Hair loss (alopecia)

✔ Bruising easily

✔ Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

✔ Muscle cramping

✔ Nosebleeds

✔ Swelling and inflammation

✔ Night blindness

Watching for symptoms in kids

Kids who have celiac disease tend to have the “classic” gastrointestinal symptoms of diarrhea or constipation. They may also have some of the following symptoms that aren’t gastrointestinal in nature:

✔ Inability to concentrate

✔ Irritability

✔ ADD/ADHD or autistic-type behaviors

✔ Failure to thrive (in infants and toddlers)

✔ Short stature or delayed growth

✔ Delayed onset of puberty

✔ Weak bones or bone pain

✔ Abdominal pain and distension

✔ Nosebleeds