Whats in a name: The Different Types of Coeliac Disease

Although most people - including many health care professionals - think of Coeliac disease as being one condition, there are, in fact, several different forms. We will look at the various forms of CD, what they have in common, and how they differ. Most importantly, we discuss why this is important for you to know....

In its classical - and best known - form, CD is associated with abdominal cramping, diarrhea, and malnutrition. And as you may expect, if there is a classical form, there is bound to be one or more non-classical forms. Non-classical forms of CD are the atypical form, the silent form, and the latent form. It is now know that the majority of people with CD do not have the classical variety: rather, they have one of these other types. The table below illustrates the key features of the different forms of CD.

                    Classical                 Atypical                Silent               Latent

Typical
age of
Onset           Childhood               Adulthood             Adulthood       Adulthood

Symptoms    Primarily                Primarily NON-      None               None
                   Gastrointestinal     Gastrointestinal

Complica-    Usually Absent         Often Present        None               None
tions

Coeliac
Disease
Antibodies  Present                   Present                  Present           Present

Small
Intestine
Biopsy         Abnormal              Abnormal               Abnormal         Normal

Treat-
ment           GF Diet                  GF Diet                  GF Diet           Uncertain

              Treatment of             Treatment of
              Complications           Complications

Extract taken from Coeliac Disease for Dummies Part I: Dealing with the Diagnosis of Coeliac Disease