<<Disclaimer:  Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thank you for all the info. I received many more responses than I thought I
would.  I had read that short stature could be the only presenting symptom
of celiac disease, but when I searched the archives and FAQ files, I could
find no references to this.

Here are excerpts from the responses I received:

> My daughter was recently diagnosed with celiac.   She is 7.  Initially,
>her only symptom was short stature, and her pediatrician said, more than
>once, this may be celiac and that we should just keep an eye on her growth.
>The growth wasn't improving and just when we were going back for a
>height/weight check,..boom....the abdominal symptoms started.  Then the
>blood work was finally ordered.  She grew 3/4 inches in 4 weeks of being
>gluten-free!  And gained 5 pounds!  You are lucky you all found the
>diagnosis before the GI symptoms hit.
************************************************************************
My daughter's only symptom is also short stature.  We initially started with
an endocronologist and when the blood work came back positive for celiac, she
referred us to a gastroenterologist.  This was a little over a year ago and
my daughter was 6 years old at the time.  She was on the diet (and was
perfect on it) for a year and has not seemed to catch up on the growth she
had missed. She is still below the charts for her age but did not get worse
in the year. She wasn't biopsied uptil recently (the doctor wanted to make
sure her intestine had healed enough so she should have been growing).  The
biopsy looked good and now we are back with the endocronologist.  We are
going to put her back on gluten for 6 months and do the blood work and
biopsy again to make sure she wasn't misdiagnosed.  Her growth will also be
monitored closely at that time to make sure she isn't slipping further from
the chart.  I almost dread having to go back to the diet after letting her
off of it for 6 months but I also don't want her to be on a diet for the
rest of her life if we are not sure she is a celiac.  I wish we had done
the biopsy at the initial diagnosis!
***************************************************************************
I have a 3yo son who was diagnosed w/celiac 1 year ago.  At age
two he just had not grown properly.  He did not have any intestinal symptoms,
just growth and weight.  After much concern and lots of test we finally came
up w/celiac thanks to a Dr. at Bowman Gray.  We are now progressing fine
although it is a challenge being Celiac.
***************************************************************************
My son, fifth birthday three days ago, is in a similar situation: short
stature and corresponding low weight and a preliminary diagnosis of celiac
disease. Our problem is, that his biopsy was not conclusive, either.
Therefore, we keep a strict GF diet and monitor his growth process. Of
course the diferential diagnosis in these cases is extensive, so are
therefore the necessary tests to virtually exclude all other conditions.
***************************************************************************
My daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease when she was 4 years
old.  Her main symptom was that she not only was short, but that she
had failed to grow.  Technically, when she was born she was on the
50th centile for height (exactly average), but by the time she was
three and a half, she was below the third centile (shorter than 97
out of 100 girls of her age).
She did have other symptoms, but not the typcial textbook ones.  She
had constipation, not diarrhoea, and occasionally vomited.  She was
also getting more tired and less active as she got older, and was
releuctant to walk anywhere.  She slept very badly (I suppose she
always had tummy aches) and had a big pot belly.  But as in other
ways she was fine, it wasn't until her growth really tailled off that
a doctor picked up something was wrong (we'd always wondered, but
hadn't been sure).
She's now seven, has been on a gluten free diet, and has caught in
terms of her height and is once again of average height for her age.
She's also very lively and active child - something she never was as
a toddler.
***************************************************************************
Our son had but one symptom as well, but his was a pale complexion. He is
actually above average height. I just wanted to let you know that
one-symptom cases do happen.
Actually, come to think of it, Braden's stools were sometimes very foul
smelling. I believe that also helped our doctor wade through all of the
possible causes.
**************************************************************************
My daughter had the same diagnosis.  We started getting worried at 4 years
and had testing done by an endicronologist which indicated celiac disease.
We went through the complete series (endoscopy, GF endoscopy, wheat diet
endoscopy) and she was positive.  She has never gotten diarhea.  The
incident that got us motivated was that she started throwing up when she
drank milk.  If a child has an active celiac response, then they can become
sensitive to milk. She has never complained of cramps or anything else.
She has done very well on her diet.  She even likes all of the GF foods.
We had her tested this year (she is almost 8 now) and she is still OK.  She
has not recovered any height yet.She is still growing, but she has not been
catching up with the other kids in her class.  I was short when I was young
also, so it may be hereditary.
***************************************************************************
I have 4 VERY SHORT celiac children. My eldest, 23, is about 4'10". She
does get PMS quite badly and is irritable. Another of her symptoms is acne,
not much but enough to know she is cheating. My 14 year old is about 4' 6".
She also has a lazy eye and rashes. My 11 year old is about 4' tall and she
could pass for a 6 year old. She used to get nose bleeds and bruised very
easily. She also has extremely long eyelashes (a symptom according to the
Canadian Celiac Assoc.) My son, 7 was rashy and got nose bleeds too and a
lot of gas. He is not outrageously short like the girls.
They didn't display any typical symptoms like diarrhea or constipation.
Most of all they are short. I wouldn't have recognized their symptoms as
celiac disease until my mother was diagnosed and I found out it ran
rampantly in the family.
***************************************************************************
Our 2 and a half year old, was diagnosed about 7 months
ago.  My wife  I are both pretty tall, as is our 6 year old.  We noticed
that Paige wasn't growing, and was not putting on weight.  She also got a
descended tummy.  After going gluten free, she began to grow almost
instantly.  From what I've read, that oftentimes happens, since the lower
intestine is getting repaired, and nutrients are being absorbed.
Our daugher was also irritable, however, before going GF, and now has a much
better disposition.  I have not read of others who've exhibited only short
stature, but the qualifier seems to be that all cases are different.
***************************************************************************
My son was diagnosed at 5 years old.  He did get diarrhea and sometimes
threw up, but not as frequently as you hear about on the list.  It would be
every 3 weeks or every 2 months.  It varied.  He has a short stature and a
distented stomach, but he never complained that his stomach hurt.  So, I
believe the symptoms can vary.
***************************************************************************
My celiac friend had her daughter tested a year ago.  She was 11 and short,
but also had NO symptoms.  Bloodwork was positive, biopsy was positive.
She eats somewhat like mom so maybe that's why she was asymptomatic.  She
doesn't take the diet TOO seriously, but basically follows it at home.
They began by checking on hormones, which were normal.
***************************************************************************


Thanks again to all who responded!

Diane Yoder
Albany, NY