Celiac Disease happens if you’ve been enjoying bread and pasta for years and suddenly begin experiencing discomfort related to these foods, you might be wondering why. After having tested negative for celiac disease at a young age, you might find yourself asking: “Can you get celiac disease later in life?” In this article, we will explore the answer to that question and learn more about the causes and treatment for this autoimmune condition.
What is Celiac Disease?
Put simply, celiac disease is a hereditary autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Celiac disease impacts an estimated three million Americans today, with 1 in 100 people having the condition.
The nature of this disease causes the body to view gluten as a threat. This overstimulates the immune system, and the body tries to defend itself from the perceived intruder. Over time, this unnecessary and overpowered immune response can cause damage to the portion of the small intestine that helps us absorb nutrition, as well as cause an array of unpleasant symptoms.
What makes celiac disease particularly tricky is that it does not always follow a predictable timeline. Some people receive a diagnosis in early childhood. Others go decades without ever knowing they have the condition, only to experience a sudden and confusing onset of symptoms in middle age or later. This inconsistency is one of the reasons celiac disease is frequently misdiagnosed or missed altogether, and why understanding its full range of presentations is so important.
What Causes Celiac Disease?
As mentioned above, celiac disease is a hereditary disorder. This means that it can be passed down from generation to generation through our genetic makeup. Those who have been diagnosed with celiac disease will present one of two specific genes in their DNA, HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8, however, not everyone with these genes present will develop the disease. Having the genetic predisposition is a necessary but not sufficient factor. Something else must also occur to activate the condition.
This is an important distinction because it helps explain why some people carry the relevant genes their entire lives without ever developing celiac disease, while others experience a sudden onset. The condition requires both the genetic foundation and a triggering event or shift in the body’s environment to fully manifest.
Can You Get Celiac Disease Later in Life?
The answer is yes, you can develop celiac disease suddenly at any age. It is important to note that individuals who develop celiac disease were born with a genetic predisposition to the condition. Most people are actually diagnosed as adults, and there has been a notable increase in the number of elderly patients who develop symptoms of the disease despite never experiencing any reaction to gluten before.
This reality is important because it challenges the common assumption that if you have tolerated gluten well into adulthood, you are immune to the condition. In fact, a negative celiac test earlier in life does not guarantee immunity. The body can change, and the genes that predispose someone to celiac disease can remain dormant for decades before being activated.
What Might Have Brought On This Change?
The exact reason for the sudden onset of celiac disease is not yet fully understood. People who develop celiac disease later in life can have eaten gluten for many years without having any negative reaction whatsoever. Studies suggest that a shift could be caused by the body reaching a kind of breaking point after a lifetime of gluten exposure. Cumulative intestinal stress, combined with genetic predisposition, may eventually tip the balance toward an active immune response. Stress and other environmental conditions may also play a contributing role.
Researchers suggest that a possible cause for the sudden onset of celiac disease could be a change in intestinal bacteria. Changes in our intestinal bacteria, also known as the gut microbiome, can be caused by a triggering event such as surgery, pregnancy, a viral illness, or a bacterial infection. After these events, the composition of the gut biome can shift significantly, causing the dormant genes that fuel celiac disease to come into play.
Other triggering factors that researchers have identified include emotional trauma, severe physical illness, and even certain medications that alter gut function or immune activity. The common thread across all of these triggers is that they create a meaningful disruption to the internal environment that has, up to that point, been keeping celiac disease at bay.
What Are the Early Warning Signs of Celiac Disease?
Symptoms of celiac disease can present themselves very differently across age groups and between men and women. Children frequently experience the gastrointestinal-related symptoms of celiac disease, while adults will often also experience symptoms that appear entirely unrelated to digestion. This broad and sometimes confusing symptom picture is another reason late-onset celiac disease can go unrecognized for so long.
Some of the most common symptoms of celiac disease include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Abdominal Pain
- Stomach Cramps
- Constipation
- Bloating
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Malnutrition and Weight Loss
- Pain in the Bones and Joints
- Anemia
- Osteoporosis
- Fatigue
- Numbness and Tingling in Extremities
- Itchy Rash
- Depression and Anxiety
- Migraines
- Seizures
- Oral Sores
Women suffering from celiac disease can also experience:
- Missed Periods
- Infertility
- Recurrent Miscarriages
And in elderly patients specifically:
- Cognitive Impairment
Several of these symptoms, particularly abdominal pain, bloating, and persistent diarrhea, can also indicate other gastrointestinal conditions, which is why professional evaluation is essential. If you are experiencing persistent or unexplained abdominal discomfort, understanding when abdominal pain warrants a trip to the ER can help you determine whether your symptoms require urgent attention rather than a routine appointment.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Celiac Disease
If you notice symptoms of celiac disease, approach your doctor for help as soon as possible. Patients can expect a twofold diagnostic procedure involving a blood test and an endoscopy.
Blood samples will be checked for high levels of a specific antibody, most commonly tissue transglutaminase IgA (tTG-IgA), to detect the presence of celiac disease. Routine blood work plays an important broader role in health monitoring as well, and understanding how often blood tests are needed can help you stay on top of ongoing diagnostic needs, particularly if you are managing a chronic condition like celiac disease.
Following the blood test, a doctor will take a small tissue sample from your small intestine via endoscopy to check for any damage to the intestinal lining. If the results of both the blood test and endoscopy are conclusive, you will most likely be diagnosed with celiac disease.
Currently, the only effective treatment for celiac disease is to begin eating a strictly gluten-free diet. This means adapting your eating habits to include only gluten-free foods and doing your absolute best to avoid gluten ingestion at all times, including hidden sources of gluten in processed foods, condiments, and medications.
Types of foods that contain gluten and that should be avoided include anything containing grains like wheat, wheat derivatives, rye, barley, and triticale. Foods that frequently contain these grains include various types of bread, pasta, cakes, pastries, cereals, gravies, and beers. Reading food labels carefully and asking about ingredients when eating out becomes an important daily habit. Your doctor may recommend speaking with a registered nutritionist in order to better understand what living a gluten-free lifestyle will mean in practical terms.
The good news is that after switching to a gluten-free diet, people with celiac disease often notice meaningful improvements in their symptoms within days to weeks. Over time, the small intestine will begin to heal and will not incur further damage as long as patients continue to avoid gluten-containing foods. For many patients, full intestinal recovery is possible with consistent dietary adherence.
Should Older People Be Tested for Celiac Disease Frequently?
Because symptoms of celiac disease can be so uncomfortable and varied, any individual who believes they might be suffering from the condition should seek help regardless of their age. However, elderly patients in particular tend to be more susceptible to autoimmune diseases, meaning that the appearance of celiac disease is more likely in those who are genetically predisposed. The development of cognitive symptoms, unexplained anemia, or persistent digestive discomfort in older adults should always be investigated rather than attributed solely to aging.
Bringing these concerns to your doctor is the only way to eliminate other possible causes of chronic symptoms, confirm the presence of celiac disease, and begin the treatment process. Regular check-ins and blood monitoring are especially valuable for elderly patients who may be silently developing nutritional deficiencies as a result of undiagnosed celiac disease.
Get Help From Village Emergency Center
In conclusion, celiac disease is a hereditary autoimmune disease that expresses itself as an intolerance to gluten. This disease can appear suddenly at any age in individuals who are genetically predisposed to the disorder. Though you may have previously been able to tolerate gluten without difficulty, symptoms of celiac disease can emerge at any time, often following a significant life event or change in gut health.
Bring your concerns to the medical professionals you trust to get a proper diagnosis and begin the lifestyle changes that can help alleviate your symptoms. At Village Emergency Centers, our board-certified physicians are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to evaluate your symptoms and guide you toward the right care. Whether you are closer to our League City or Jersey Village location, our doors are always open with no wait times. Feel free to reach out to our team before your visit or simply walk straight in, we are always ready to help.