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It may take 1 year, 2 years, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years or even a lot longer before there is enough damage to the intestine (gut) by gluten, for it to show up as microscopic abnormalities. It is thought that with continued gluten intake, the gut damage becomes progressively worse. Thus you can get years of symptoms prior to the gut tissue damage occurring. It is my policy to try people on a gluten-free diet at the first symptom, rather than wait for the tissue damage to occur. When do symptoms first develop? This is a key question but perhaps the most difficult to answer. We first have to know what symptoms we are looking for. Until recently, Coeliac Disease was considered to be purely a gut (bowel) disease in the realm of the gastroenterologist. However, as you now know, Coeliac Disease is a disease in progress. If you have CD, can you answer the question: “When did I first get Coeliac Disease?” Currently, a gastroenterologist would only make a definitive diagnosis when there was evidence of microscopic bowel damage (that is: an abnormal small bowel biopsy). However, in my opinion, I would make a diagnosis of gluten sensitivity (the gluten syndrome) as soon as there are symptoms associated with rising gluten antibodies. This stage is often referred to as “potential Coeliac Disease”. Yes, Celiac Disease is a progressive condition. People slowly develop symptoms and slowly get worse and worse and as they continue to eat gluten.
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