Digestive Health Celiac Disease Symptoms Can You Have Celiac Disease If Your Main Symptom Is Constipation? By Jane Anderson Jane Anderson Facebook Twitter Jane Anderson is a medical journalist and an expert in celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and the gluten-free diet. Learn about our editorial process Updated on October 23, 2020 Medically reviewed by Jay N. Yepuri, MD, MS Medically reviewed by Jay N. Yepuri, MD, MS Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Jay Yepuri, MD, MS, is board-certified in gastroenterology. He is a partner with Digestive Health Associates of Texas and a medical director at Texas Health Harris Methodist HEB Hospital. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print You can have celiac disease if your main symptom is constipation, rather than diarrhea, and if you have chronic constipation along with other celiac disease symptoms, you should be tested for the condition. Decades ago, healthcare providers used to think that celiac disease only occurred in children—specifically, only in children who appeared malnourished and who had frequent watery diarrhea. But years of further research has shown that many celiacs, both children and adults, suffer from constipation or from alternating constipation and diarrhea. SBenitez / Getty Images What Exactly Is Constipation? You have constipation if you have fewer than three bowel movements a week. Occasional constipation happens to many people, but your constipation is considered chronic if you're constipated for several weeks or longer. A medical study conducted in Ireland found that only 76% of patients had digestive symptoms at the time of their celiac disease diagnosis, including 56% with diarrhea and about 15% with constipation. One-third of the total group had abdominal pain. Another study found constipation in about 10% of children ultimately diagnosed with celiac disease. As that study shows, you don't even need to have gastrointestinal symptoms to have celiac disease—about one-quarter of people didn't. While constipation was less common than diarrhea (that so-called "classic" celiac symptom), it wasn't particularly uncommon. Plenty of people had it. A large Italian study of digestive and non-digestive celiac disease symptoms at the time of diagnosis found that 13% of people had constipation, 15% had alternating constipation and diarrhea, and 27% had so-called "classic" diarrhea. Other digestive symptoms found in that study included: bloating (20% of people had it), mouth sores (18%), and reflux (12%). Constipation in Children With Celiac Recent medical research indicates that children who suffer from constipation may actually have celiac disease. For example, healthcare providers conducting a study involving children in the Netherlands found celiac was "overrepresented" in children who had chronic constipation and who weren't helped by laxative treatment. They concluded such children should be tested routinely for celiac disease. In another study, conducted at the Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Center at the State University of New York at Buffalo, healthcare providers looked at all the children who had been diagnosed with celiac disease over a 10-year period. They found that more than half of those who were diagnosed had abdominal pain and 39% had constipation as symptoms at the time they were diagnosed. Only 31% of those children diagnosed had diarrhea as a symptom. The researchers noted that this pattern didn't fit into what's considered the classic appearance of celiac disease (diarrhea and weight loss). Finally, researchers in Turkey noted that celiac disease and constipation are the two most common problems seen by pediatric gastroenterologists. The researchers recommended that celiac blood tests be performed in young patients who have constipation and other possible celiac symptoms, such as malnutrition. A Word From Verywell There are many possible causes for constipation other than celiac disease. Lifestyle-related constipation causes include: eating a low-fiber dietdrinking too little waterexercising too little Meanwhile, medical causes for constipation can include: diabetesirritable bowel syndromehypothyroidismside effects of medication Still, don't rule out (or let your healthcare provider rule out) the possibility of celiac disease just because you're mostly constipated, or you have a mix of constipation and diarrhea. Just as it's possible to be overweight and have celiac disease, it's possible to have constipation and have celiac disease. Consider getting tested, especially if you have other symptoms on this extensive list of celiac disease symptoms. 6 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Celiac Disease: Alleviating Gastrointestinal Symptoms. MedlinePlus. Constipation. Pelleboer RA, Janssen RL, Deckers-kocken JM, et al. Celiac disease is overrepresented in patients with constipation. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2012;88(2):173-6. doi:10.2223/JPED.2155 Khatib M, Baker RD, Ly EK, Kozielski R, Baker SS. Presenting Pattern of Pediatric Celiac Disease. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2016;62(1):60-3. doi:10.1097/MPG.0000000000000887 Çakir M, Cezaroğlu S, Çobanoğlu Ü. Celiac disease in children with chronic constipation. Turk J Med Sci. 2016;46(3):651-6. doi:doi:10.3906/sag-1502-130 National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Symptoms & causes of constipation. Additional Reading Egan-Mitchell B et al. Constipation in childhood celiac disease. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 1972 April; 47(252): 238–240. doi:10.1136/adc.47.252.238 McElvaney NG et al. Coeliac disease: clinical presentations, correlations of dietary compliance, symptomatic response and repeat biopsy findings. The Ulster Medical Journal. Pelleboer RA et al. Celiac disease is overrepresented in patients with constipation. Jornal de pediatria. 2012 Mar-Apr;88(2):173-6. doi:10.2223/JPED.2155 Volta U et al. The changing clinical profile of celiac disease: a 15-year experience in an Italian referral center. BMC Gastroenterology. 2014 Nov 18;14:194. doi:10.1186/s12876-014-0194-x By Jane Anderson Jane Anderson is a medical journalist and an expert in celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and the gluten-free diet. 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