What is a gluten allergy?

Using the correct medical terminology, technically, there is no such thing as a gluten allergy. There is celiac disease, which is an autoimmune response to gluten in which the intestines show an inflammatory response to ingestion of gluten, even the smallest amounts. There is non-celiac gluten sensitivity, in which people experience symptoms similar to celiac disease, but they do not exhibit antibodies to gluten nor intestinal damage. Finally, there is wheat allergy (or potentially a rye or barley allergy), which is a classic food allergy in which the body experiences a histamine response to wheat protein(s) such as itching, swelling and potentially more serious symptoms such as shortness of breath, drop in blood pressure and anaphylaxis.

If you think you may have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, it is important that you DO NOT go on a gluten free diet until you see a doctor and get tested. Going gluten free before testing can lead to false negative test results. Once under the care of your health care provider, they will guide you as to when and if it is appropriate to go on a gluten free diet.

For a first step, you can either see a GI doctor or your primary care physician, both of whom can do the initial blood testing. If your primary care physician tests you and the results are indicative of celiac disease, they will refer you to a GI doctor to do the second phase of testing, an endoscopy with small bowel biopsy.