Symptom Stories: Bone Density

My mother had osteoporosis and broken bones, and eventually wound up in a wheelchair. Knowing there was a hereditary component, I made my doctors aware and was actively monitoring my own health. But I had ever-worsening osteoporosis, and oral meds did not help. I did not know what celiac disease was, and would never have suspected that could be the problem.

A routine bone density scan showed progression from having osteopenia to having osteoporosis. Fortunately, my doctor ran additional tests to find the root cause of the progression and discovered I had celiac disease.

I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2012. I had my first bone density scan in 2019 and was diagnosed with severe osteopenia. As a 49 year old male I had the bone age of an 83 year old women. This serves as an example of how celiac disease can cause significant non-GI problems.