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Ten reasons to get tested for celiac disease BEFORE going on a gluten-free diet or putting your child on one

1. You must be on a regular gluten-containing diet to be tested for celiac disease. Otherwise, the results could be a false negative.

2. If you go on a gluten-free diet first and then decide you want to be tested for celiac disease, you will have to undertake a "gluten challenge" (eating the equivalent of about three slices of bread every day for a month) in order to be tested. If you have health problems from digesting gluten, and you begin to recover on a gluten-free diet, putting gluten back in your diet can be extremely difficult, and in some cases make you dangerously ill.

3. If you go on a gluten-free diet and it does wonderful things for your health, you will not want to go back to eating gluten for a month, making yourself sick, in order to be tested for celiac disease. It's much easier to get the testing done first.

4. Screening for celiac disease is efficient and reliable. Any doctor can order the blood test, or you can order it yourself at online labs. The blood test is a screening tool that is the first step in a celiac diagnosis; when the result is positive, it is usually followed by a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.

5. The treatment for celiac disease and non-celiac gluten intolerance is significantly different. If you have non-celiac gluten intolerance it is challenging, but relatively straightforward, to remove foods with gluten ingredients from your diet. However, a person with celiac disease must avoid ingesting even microscopic amounts of gluten, which requires constant attention to potential sources of cross-contamination. The gluten free diet for celiac disease is a life-long commitment that should not be taken lightly. It is more expensive and has significant social implications. A person with celiac disease must also be tested for nutritional deficiencies and associated medical conditions, and should be monitored annually.

6. Celiac disease affects one percent of the population. It is more common than Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and cystic fibrosis combined.

7. There are hundreds of possible symptoms of celiac disease, many of them outside the digestive system.

8. Celiac disease can be asymptomatic ("silent celiac disease"). Researchers are finding that this may be the most common form of the disease. You could have celiac disease, and be at risk for longterm health complications, but be completely unaware of any symptoms.

9. Undiagnosed and untreated celiac disease can lead to the development of other serious and debilitating health problems, including other autoimmune disorders, osteoporosis, anemia, infertility, neurological conditions, and cancer.

10. Undiagnosed celiac disease can be deadly. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that undiagnosed celiac disease is associated with a quadrupled mortality rate.

This information is based on information from celiac disease centers. For more information, please see our Expert Advice. Our website is provided for information purposes only, and should not be taken as medical advice. Please see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment of health conditions.