Short stature often results when childhood celiac sprue prevents nutrient absorption during the years when nutrition is critical to growth and development. Celiac sprue is most prevalent in Europeans and is rare in Africans and Asians. Incidence of celiac sprue is slightly higher in females. The disease might become apparent in infants when gluten ingestion begins. Symptoms might persist throughout childhood if untreated, but they usually diminish in adolescence.
Symptoms often reappear in early adulthood, between the third and fourth decades.
The diagnosis of celiac sprue might not be established until middle or old age. The symptoms of untreated celiac sprue can be divided into gastrointestinal and extraintestinal symptoms. Gastrointestinal symptoms Diarrhea is the most common symptom in untreated celiac sprue. It is due to maldigestion and malabsorption of nutrients. The stools might be watery or semiformed, light tan or gray, oily or frothy, and have a characteristic foul odor.