Celiac Disease Diagnosis & Testing

Diagnosis & Testing

Celiac Disease is diagnosed through a two-step process, starting with serological screening.  Proper testing and interpretation is crucial.  A biopsy procedure (where a portion of the duodenum is checked for flattened villi) will confirm damage of the intestines and therefore, inability to absorb important nutrients.

Facts About Diagnosis

Even though the disease is common, lack of information and variable symptoms make a diagnosis difficult.  The average celiac takes ten to fifteen years to be diagnosed.  That’s why awareness is so important.

• How many different things may an individual experience when they are not getting proper nutrition?  Headaches?  Poor memory? Poor teeth?  What if you are asymptomatic like many celiacs?  Read more here on what celiacs may suffer from.

• Celiac symptoms vary widely among individuals.  Alternately, there may not be any symptoms for years, making CD an extremely difficult case for health care professionals to diagnose.

Diagnosis & Testing Resources

Central Coast Celiacs provides basic information about Celiac Disease/Dermatitis Herpetiformis. Physician packages are also available upon request. Information shared by this support group does not constitute medical advice. Betty Guthrie and Isabella Porter are not physicians. Central Coast Celiacs does not recommend initiation of a gluten free diet without first consulting a physician familiar with CD/DH.