Celiac disease is a digestive and autoimmune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. If you have celiac disease, gluten may damage the lining of the small intestine, causing unpleasant symptoms and preventing the absorption of important nutrients.

In America, about 1% of the population has celiac disease. Most doctors agree that changing your diet is the best way to keep celiac disease under control, but for people who do not know they have it, that can be difficult. In fact, 83% of Americans who have celiac disease are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

How to Tell if You Have Celiac Disease

Anyone can get celiac disease, but there are certain factors that can increase your chance of developing it. For example, people who have a family member with celiac disease, have type 1 diabetes, or have an autoimmune thyroid disease are more at risk.

There are over 300 possible symptoms, or in some people no symptoms at all, which often makes celiac disease difficult to diagnose.Here are some of the most common symptoms associated with celiac disease:

• Damage to dental enamel
• Joint pain
• Rapid weight loss
• Skin rash
• Anemia
• Bloating
• Osteoporosis
• Diarrhea
• Numbness of hands and feet
• Growth development in children

If left untreated, celiac disease can cause further complications such as other autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, and even cancer. So it is important to speak with a medical professional as soon as you start to notice symptoms.

The first step to diagnosing celiac disease is a simple blood test that you can have done at any FastMed Urgent Care location. We have on-site labs so you can receive your results the very same day. From there our medical professionals will be able to review your results and recommend you to a specialist, if needed.

We are open 7 days a week and don’t require appointments. FastMed is a leader in offering medical care that is prompt, personal, and available. Have questions about the symptoms of celiac disease? Call or stop by one of our locations today!

About FastMed

FastMed is a leading provider of high-quality, convenient, affordable, and compassionate healthcare in 34 counties across North Carolina. FastMed serves both urban and rural communities across the state with a wide range of care options, including preventive, telemedicine, occupational health, and primary and urgent care. FastMed is one of the few urgent care providers in the nation that has earned The Joint Commission’s coveted Gold Seal of Approval® for quality, safety, and infection control in ambulatory healthcare. For more information, visit www.fastmed.com.