When foods containing gluten are avoided, the normal brushlike surface usually is restored, and normal intestinal function returns. Symptoms Celiac disease may begin at any age. In infants, no symptoms appear until foods containing gluten are first eaten. Celiac disease often doesn't cause diarrhea or fatty stools, and a child may have only mild symptoms, which are interpreted as those of a simple upset stomach. However, some children stop growing normally, suffer painful abdominal bloating, and begin passing pale, foul-smelling, bulky stools.
Anemia develops from iron deficiency.
In some people, symptoms don't appear until adulthood. The nutritional deficiencies resulting from malabsorption in celiac disease can cause additional symptoms. Some people who develop celiac disease in childhood may have abnormally bowed long bones. Depending on the severity and duration of the disorder, the person may have low blood levels of protein, calcium, potassium, or sodium. A deficiency of prothrombin, which is important in blood clotting, leads to easy bruising and prolonged bleeding after an injury.