U.S. Department 

of Health and 

Human Services 

What I need to know about
 

Celiac Disease Celiac Disease

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

What I need to know about 

Celiac Disease 

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 

National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

Contents 

What is celiac disease?.............................................1
 

Is celiac disease serious?..........................................1
 

What are the symptoms of celiac disease?.............2
 

How is celiac disease diagnosed?............................3
 

How is celiac disease treated?.................................5
 

Points to Remember................................................7
 

Pronunciation Guide................................................8
 

For More Information .............................................9
 

Acknowledgments ..................................................11
 

What is celiac disease? 

Having celiac disease* means a person can’t eat 


gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, or barley.
 

Gluten may also be found in some medicines.
 

Celiac disease is hereditary, meaning it runs in 


families. The treatment for celiac disease is a 


gluten-free diet. Other names for celiac disease 


are celiac sprue and gluten intolerance.
 

In people with celiac disease, the body’s immune 

system responds to gluten by damaging the lining 

of the small intestine. This lining has small fingerlike growths called villi. The villi normally absorb 

nutrients from the foods we eat. When the villi are 

damaged, the body can’t get the nutrients it needs. 

People with celiac disease don’t always know they 

have it because they don’t feel sick. Or if they feel 

sick, they don’t know celiac disease is the cause. 

Is celiac disease serious? 

Yes. Celiac disease can be very serious. Besides 


stomach pain, it can cause anemia, malnutrition, 


infertility, a certain skin rash, and other health 


problems.
 

* See page 8 for tips on how to say the words in bold type.
 

1 
What are the symptoms of celiac 


disease?
 

Symptoms of celiac disease include 

l gas 

l diarrhea 

l stomach pain 

l feeling very tired 

l change in mood 

l weight loss 

l a very itchy skin rash with blisters 

l slowed growth 

Most people with celiac disease have one or more 

symptoms, but not all have digestive problems. 

And some people with the disease don’t have any 

symptoms. Having one or more of these symptoms 

does not mean a person has celiac disease because 

many other disorders include these symptoms. 

2 
How is celiac disease diagnosed? 

Celiac disease can be hard to discover because its 

symptoms are like many other digestive diseases. 

People with celiac disease can go untreated for 

many years. 

If your doctor thinks you have celiac disease, you 

will probably need a blood test. You will need to 

follow your regular diet before and while being 

tested. If you don’t, the results could be wrong. 

3 
If your test results show you might have celiac 

disease, the doctor will perform a biopsy to make 

sure celiac disease is the problem. For a biopsy, 

the doctor takes a small piece of tissue from your 

small intestine. To get to your small intestine, the 

doctor puts a long tube into your mouth and down 

into your stomach. At the end of the tube are 

small tools for snipping out the bit of tissue needed 

to view with a microscope. You will take medicine 

before the biopsy that makes you very sleepy. It 

also keeps you from feeling any pain. Many people 

sleep through the procedure. 

4 
How is celiac disease treated? 

The only treatment for celiac disease is a glutenfree diet. A dietitian can work with you to help you 

learn how to select gluten-free foods. A dietitian 

is an expert in food and healthy eating. You will 

learn to check labels of foods and other items for 

gluten. If you eliminate gluten from your diet, your 

small intestine will heal. If you eat gluten, 

or use items that contain gluten, you will harm 

your small intestine. 

The following chart lists examples of foods you can 

eat and foods you should stay away from if you have 

celiac disease. This list is not complete. A dietitian 

can help you learn what other foods you can and 

can’t eat when following a gluten-free diet. 

5 
Allowed Foods 

Amaranth 

Arrowroot 

Buckwheat 

Cassava 

Corn 

Flax 

Indian rice grass 

Job’s tears 

Legumes 

Millet 

Nuts 

Potatoes 

Quinoa 

Rice 

Sago 

Seeds 

Soy 

Sorghum 

Tapioca 

Wild Rice 

Yucca 

Foods To Avoid 

Wheat 

• Including einkorn, emmer, spelt, 

kamut 

• Wheat starch, wheat bran, wheat 

germ, cracked wheat, hydrolyzed 

wheat protein 

Barley 

Rye 

Triticale (a cross between wheat 

and rye) 

Other Wheat Products 

Bromated flour 

Durum flour 

Enriched flour 

Farina 

Graham flour 

Phosphated flour 

Plain flour 

Self-rising flour 

Semolina 

White flour 

Processed Foods that May Contain Wheat, Barley, or Rye* 

Bouillon cubes 

Brown rice syrup 

Chips/potato chips 

Candy 

Cold cuts, hot dogs, salami, sausage 

Communion wafer 

French fries 

Gravy 

Imitation fish 

Matzo 

Rice mixes 

Sauces 

Seasoned tortilla chips 

Self-basting turkey 

Soups 

Soy sauce 

Vegetables in sauce 

* Most of these foods can be found gluten-free. When in doubt, check with 

the food manufacturer. 

From the following resource: Thompson T. Celiac Disease Nutrition Guide, 2nd ed. 

Chicago: American Dietetic Association; 2006. © American Dietetic Association. 

Adapted with permission. For a complete copy of the Celiac Disease Nutrition Guide, 

please visit www.eatright.org. 

6 
Points to Remember 

l	 People with celiac disease can’t eat foods or use 

items with gluten in them. 

l	 Celiac disease harms the small intestine. 

l	 People with untreated celiac disease can’t get 

needed nutrients. 

l	 Without treatment, people with celiac disease 

can develop other health problems. 

l	 Celiac disease is diagnosed by blood tests and a 

biopsy of the small intestine. 

l	 A gluten-free diet must be followed for life. 

l	 A dietitian can help people choose the 

right foods. 

7 
Pronunciation Guide 

celiac disease (SEE-lee-ak) (dih-ZEEZ)
 

dietitian (dy-uh-TISH-uhn)
 

gluten (GLOO-tuhn)
 

small intestine (in-TESS-tin)
 

8
 
For More Information 

Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign 

National Digestive Diseases Information 

Clearinghouse
 

2 Information Way
 

Bethesda, MD 20892–3570
 

Phone: 1–800–891–5389
 

Fax: 703–738–4929
 

Email: celiac@info.niddk.nih.gov
 

Internet: www.celiac.nih.gov
 

American Celiac Society 

P.O. Box 23455 

New Orleans, LA 70183–0455 

Phone: 504–737–3293 

Email: info@americanceliacsociety.org 

Internet: www.americanceliacsociety.org 

American Dietetic Association 

120 South Riverside Plaza, Suite 2000 

Chicago, IL 60606–6995 

Phone: 1–800–877–1600 

Email: knowledge@eatright.org 

Internet: www.eatright.org 

9 
Celiac Disease Foundation 

13251 Ventura Boulevard, #1 

Studio City, CA 91604 

Phone: 818–990–2354 

Fax: 818–990–2379 

Email: cdf@celiac.org 

Internet: www.celiac.org 

Celiac Sprue Association/USA Inc. 

P.O. Box 31700 

Omaha, NE 68131–0700 

Phone: 1–877–CSA–4CSA (272–4272) 

Fax: 402–558–1347 

Email: celiacs@csaceliacs.org 

Internet: www.csaceliacs.org 

Gluten Intolerance Group of North America 

31214 124th Avenue SE 

Auburn, WA 98092 

Phone: 253–833–6655 

Fax: 253–833–6675 

Email: info@gluten.net 

Internet: www.gluten.net 

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness 

P.O. Box 544 

Ambler, PA 19002 

Phone: 215–325–1306 

Email: info@celiaccentral.org 

Internet: www.celiaccentral.org 

10 
Acknowledgments 

The National Digestive Diseases Information 

Clearinghouse (NDDIC) would like to thank 

William F. Stenson, M.D., Washington University, 

for assisting with the scientific and editorial review 

of this publication. Thanks also to Alice Bast and 

Nancy Dickens, National Foundation for Celiac 

Awareness; Cynthia Kupper, R.D., C.D., Gluten 

Intolerance Group; and Elaine Monarch, Celiac 

Disease Foundation, for reviewing the food chart. 

Thank you also to Joseph Murray, M.D., at the 

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, 

for facilitating field-testing of this publication. 

The U.S. Government does not endorse or favor any specific 

commercial product or company. Trade, proprietary, or company 

names appearing in this document are used only because they are 

considered necessary in the context of the information provided. 

If a product is not mentioned, the omission does not mean or imply 

that the product is unsatisfactory. 

11 
The Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign 

To meet the need for comprehensive and current 

information about celiac disease, the National 

Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

(NDDIC), a service of the National Institute of 

Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 

(NIDDK), launched the Celiac Disease Awareness 

Campaign. The Awareness Campaign is the 

result of the combined ideas and efforts of the 

professional and voluntary organizations that 

focus on celiac disease, along with the NIDDK, 

the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Visit www.celiac.nih.gov to learn more about the 

Awareness Campaign. 

12 
National Digestive Diseases 

Information Clearinghouse 

2 Information Way
 

Bethesda, MD 20892–3570
 

Phone: 1–800–891–5389
 

Fax: 703–738–4929 

Email: nddic@info.niddk.nih.gov 

Internet: www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov 

The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse 

(NDDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes 

and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK 

is part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services. Established 

in 1980, the Clearinghouse provides information about 

digestive diseases to people with digestive disorders and 

to their families, health care professionals, and the public. 

The NDDIC answers inquiries, develops and distributes 

publications, and works closely with professional and patient 

organizations and Government agencies to coordinate 

resources about digestive diseases. 

Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are carefully 

reviewed by both NIDDK scientists and outside experts. 

This publication is not copyrighted. The Clearinghouse encourages 

users of this booklet to duplicate and distribute as many copies as 

desired. 

This booklet is also available at www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov. 

This publication may contain information about medications used 

to treat a health condition. When this publication was prepared, the 

NIDDK included the most current information available Occasionally, 

new information about medication is released. For updates or for 

questions about any medications, please contact the U.S. Food and Drug 

Administration at 1–888–INFO–FDA (463–6332), a toll-free call, or visit 

their website at www.fda.gov. Consult your doctor for more information. 
U.S. DEpARTmENT OF HEALTH 

AND HUmAN SERvICES 

National Institutes of Health 

National Institute of Diabetes and 

Digestive and Kidney Diseases 

NIH Publication No. 07–5755 

August 2007