Celiac Disease (An Occult Cause Of Depression)

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, which was originally believed to be confined to the gut, causing damage to the fingerlike projections in the gut known as villi. Today, we know that celiac disease affects multiple organ systems in the body. Because celiac disease can present in a variety of forms, diagnosing celiac disease can be a challenge. Providers frequently will not consider celiac disease if it presents with isolated extra-intestinal symptoms. When the main symptom of celiac disease is depression, this creates one such scenario in which the consideration of celiac disease in the differential diagnosis is often overlooked. Celiac disease is on the rise globally, and the multiple forms of its presentation causes many cases of celiac disease to go unrecognized. This means that people who have celiac disease often discover their illness after complications have already developed. In other cases, the underlying cause of their symptoms may never be discovered. Psychiatric illnesses, such as depression, are prime candidates for these types of missed diagnoses.