Sarah Keogh RD
May 2026
Did you know that over 78,000 people in Ireland have coeliac disease and don’t know it?
Coeliac disease is a common autoimmune disease that causes a huge range of symptoms – anything from gut to nervous system; to skin and even hair symptoms, can be linked to coeliac disease. And yet, it takes an average of 10-14 years for people to be diagnosed, and many are not diagnosed until they have a severe problem.
Why is Coeliac Disease missed so often?
Coeliac disease affects the gut giving many people symptoms like bloating, constipation, pain and diarrhoea. For a long time, doctors thought that you could only have coeliac disease if you were a child with diarrhoea and weight loss. But more recent research now tells us that that around 40% of people with coeliac disease do not have any gut symptoms or can have bloating and constipation instead of diarrhoea. We also know that coeliac disease can affect fertility, the nervous system, skin, and hair as well.
Coeliac disease can also show up at any age and at any weight.
What are the hidden signs of Coeliac Disease?
If you are having any gut symptoms, always see your GP. It is very important that you never self-diagnose things like lactose intolerance or irritable bowel syndrome without a coeliac test. But what are other symptoms that can be signs of coeliac disease – even if your gut seems perfectly healthy?
Skin signs of Coeliac Disease
Around 10% of people with coeliac disease develop a skin rash called “dermatitis herpetiformis”. This rash comes up as a creamy blister. However, it is very, very, itchy so people scratch it and it tends to bleed and form scabs. So, the rash tends to look like a “scabby” rash. It can turn up anywhere on your body but often shows up on the outside of both elbows, the outside of both knees, or the outside of both buttocks.
Other skin rashes appear to be more common in people with coeliac disease including eczema and dermatitis. People with coeliac disease are also more likely to have psoriasis and many people find their psoriasis improves once they start treatment for coeliac disease.
Hair signs of Coeliac Disease
Hair loss is common in people with coeliac disease, often due to poor absorption of nutrients from your food. Hair needs lots of good nutrition to grow and for strength and colour. Thinning hair or hair loss can be caused by coeliac disease. As coeliac disease is an auto-immune condition, there may be an auto-immune impact on hair as well.
Teeth, mouth, and bones
Poor nutrition and immune problems can lead to poor tooth enamel and recurrent mouth ulcers in people with coeliac disease. Poor tooth enamel is often linked to poor absorption of vitamin D. This can also cause more osteoporosis; and people with coeliac disease often have earlier and more severe osteoporosis.
Nervous system signs of Coeliac Disease
There has been a lot of research into the effect of coeliac disease on the nervous system in the last 20 years. We now know that coeliac disease can cause:
- Migraine & headaches
- Loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden fatigue and exhaustion
- Anxiety and depression
- “Pins and needles” in fingers and toes
- Brain fog and loss of concentration
Fertility Problems
Both women and men can have their fertility affected by untreated coeliac disease. Both women and men can have more difficulty becoming parents and women can have more miscarriages and smaller babies. Many people go through several rounds of fertility treatment before being diagnosed with coeliac disease.
Low iron & B vitamins
Coeliac disease causes malabsorption. Not everyone will have low iron, low vitamin B12 or low folate, but if you do, it is important that you have a coeliac test to rule it out.
Slow growth
Children who are growing slowly (e.g. not needing new shoes or trousers as often as other kids the same age) need to be checked for coeliac disease, even if their weight looks okay. Children often stop getting taller before they start to get thin with coeliac disease so they can look fine but still be struggling.
Anxiety
Too many children (and adults) are told their tummy pain is anxiety for a year or more before anyone tests them for coeliac disease. Let’s rule it out earlier.
The wrong gut diagnosis – what if it is coeliac disease?
20% of people with irritable bowel syndrome actually have coeliac disease. 24% of people with lactose intolerance actually have coeliac disease. Has your doctor tested you for coeliac disease?
Talk to your GP
Coeliac Disease is not a standard blood test, and it is not picked up with a colonoscopy (you need an endoscopy with coeliac biopsies taken). At the Coeliac Society we meet lots of people who think they were tested for coeliac disease but actually were not. Ask your GP if they have checked already (sometimes they have) and ask about a coeliac blood test.
Remember: You must be eating gluten for at least 6 weeks before a coeliac test or your test will come back negative even if you are coeliac. Test first before you cut out gluten.
