Although there may be no detectable symptoms of the immune response to gluten, the typical symptoms people develop occur when the reaction begins to damage the intestines. The symptoms, resulting from malabsorption or improper digestion of dietary nutrients, include abdominal bloating or pain, diarrhea, constipation, gaseousness, or nausea with or without vomiting. It appears that acid reflux in the esophagus, manifesting as heartburn, may be a potential symptom as well.

Gluten sensitivity implies that there is an ongoing immune reaction to gluten in the diet, usually detected as antibodies against a subprotein of gluten called gliadin. Although recently these antibodies were looked for only in the blood and are found in 12% of the general American public, my research has revealed that these antibodies can be detected in the stool in as many as 35% of what are otherwise normal people (U.S. and International patents pending).

Because research has shown that as many as 30% of all Americans may be gluten sensitive, and that 1 in 225 have a severe form of this sensitivity causing the intestinal disease called celiac sprue, a case can be made that everyone in America should be screened for gluten sensitivity. However, there are people with various risk factors or diseases that are at greater risk of developing gluten sesntivity who should undoubtedly be tested.

Although it has been stated that a person must be eating gluten to be able to detect antibodies to gliadin in blood, we have found that this is not true for our stool tests (and other researchers have found the same when sampling upper intestinal contents with tubes). Because the stool tests (but not blood tests) can find low levels of antigliadin antibody produced in the intestine, we actually recommend that you be tested on your current diet, that is, gluten-containing or gluten-free.

No. The majority of patients with celiac disease experience no symptoms when they ingest gluten, either intentionally or unintentionally. This led to the concept that patients, especially children may grow out of the disease. In addition, patients also consider that it is doing no harm to them.

If intestinal symptoms are present in the face of a positive antibody test to gliadin, it is likely that some damage is present. Although traditionally, doctors have relied on a biopsy of the upper small intestine to prove or disprove this, it is now known from medical research (including studies I have conducted) that the damage may be imperceptibly subtle, possibly to the extent of being invisible to the microscope.

Gluten sensitivity implies that a person's immune system is intolerant of gluten in the diet and is forming antibodies or displaying some other evidence of an inflammatory reaction. When these reactions cause small intestinal damage visible on a biopsy, the syndrome has been called celiac sprue, celiac disease, or gluten sensitive enteropathy. (Nontropical sprue and idiopathic steatorrhea are other terms that have been used for this disorder in the past.

The stool test for gluten sensitivity alone can answer the question of whether or not a person is gluten sensitive. However, combining this with the test for intestinal malabsorption provides a more complete assessment of the condition of the person and the intestine relative to their gluten sensitivity status.

DQ2 is present in 31% of the general American population. DQ8 (without DQ2) is present in another 12%. Thus, the main celiac genes are present in 43% of Americans. Include DQ1 (without DQ2 or DQ8), which is present in another 38%, yields the fact that at least 81% of America is genetically predisposed to gluten sensitivity. (Of those with at least one DQ1 allele, 46% have DQ1,7, 42% have DQ1,1, 11% have DQ1,4, and 1% have DQ1,9.

The symptoms of Scotopic Sensitivity cluster under five different major areas, including light sensitivity, inadequate background accommodation, poor print resolution, restricted span of recognition, and lack of sustained attention. Most individuals who have been diagnosed with this disorder have some of the symptoms in at least one or two of these five major areas.

The immune cells present in the intestinal tract comprise the largest mass of tissue in the body assigned the function of protecting against foreign invaders. These invaders are present in the form of proteins called antigens. Although the intestine's immune cells probably evolved originally to ward off infecting organisms, in fact, their most frequent exposure to foreign antigens comes from food.

Currently, tests are available to detect the genes that control the immune system's reaction to gluten. These genes are called human leukocyte antigens or HLA. There are several types of HLA genes within each person. It is a particular type called HLA-DQ that is most useful in the assessment of the probability that a person may be gluten sensitive.

Although by definition a normal small bowel biopsy rules out celiac sprue, it does not rule out gluten sensitivity. Although asymptomatic people with gluten sensitivity may have normal or near-normal biopsies, so too may people with symptomatic gluten sensitivity. This has been reported in the medical literature (called "Gluten Sensitivity with minimal Enteropathy" or "Gluten-Sensitive Diarrhea without Celiac Disease".

Celiac disease, a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food, can be associated with peripheral neuropathy, along with other disorders. People with celiac disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, rye and barley. It is an inherited condition that is believed to be significantly under-diagnosed in the United States.

Gene tests for gluten sensitivity, and other immune reactions are HLA (human leukocyte antigen), specifically HLA-DQ, and even more specifically, HLA-DQB1. The nomenclature for reporting HLA gene results has evolved over the last two decades as technology has advanced.