Celiac disease and gluten allergy are different conditions. People with celiac sometimes say they are allergic to gluten because gluten causes a range of body-wide symptoms. However, celiac disease is not an actual allergy. It’s an autoimmune disease.  In people without celiac disease, gluten can cause allergy-like reactions. These include an extremely itchy rash known as dermatitis herpetiformis, gluten ataxia (a rare brain disorder), and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. These are also not true allergies.  In fact, there is no such thing as a gluten allergy. People can be allergic to wheat. A wheat allergy causes typical allergy symptoms, including nasal congestion, hives, nausea, vomiting, and a severe reaction called anaphylaxis.