On Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a long-term digestive disorder caused by gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats) and affects both children and adults. it is a disease that damages the small intestines and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food (such as carbohydrates, fat, proteins, and vitamins).
Celiac disease is sometimes regarded as a childhood disease, because its symptoms, such as diarrhea, growth failure, and failure to thrive, occur during childhood. but the disease can also manifest its initial symptoms in adults of any age. symptoms include bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, skin rashes, anemia, and even osteoporosis. celiac disease is a hereditary disease with sometimes vague symptoms are attributed to other conditions. it may cause such nonspecific symptoms for several years before being correctly diagnosed and treated.
it was generally believed that the disease was a rare, but recent data prove otherwise. in the United States, alone, one out of 133 Americans has the disease. it can even be more common in Africa, South America, and Asia than previously believed. tracing the family tree of a person diagnosed with the disease can zero in at one out of 22 people having the disease.
People who have been diagnosed of the disease should avoid taking any food containing gluten, with or without the symptoms.

(http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov)