- Location: 1507 S Hiawassee Rd Ste 105, Orlando, FL 32835
People who are sensitive to or intolerant of gluten in foods experience bloating, gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, headaches, joint pain, fatigue, and mental fog.
These symptoms may also indicate celiac disease, so it is important to visit your Orlando Gastroenterology doctor. Treatment for gluten sensitivity differs from treatment for celiac disease.
Two simple tests will distinguish whether a patient is gluten sensitive or has celiac disease. Celiac disease produces antibodies that are present in blood, stool, and saliva. Collecting and testing samples of these substances quickly show the presence or absence of celiac antibodies. If no antibodies are present, doctors usually determine that a patient is simply gluten sensitive or gluten intolerant.
The cause of gluten intolerance, also called non-celiac gluten sensitivity, is not fully understood. Unlike celiac disease, it does not involve the immune system producing antibodies that damage the small intestine, and unlike a wheat allergy it does not produce an allergic response. Research suggests that gluten, and possibly other components of wheat, trigger symptoms in some people without causing the intestinal damage seen in celiac disease.
Because the symptoms overlap with celiac disease, wheat allergy and irritable bowel syndrome, testing matters. At Orlando Gastroenterology we test for celiac antibodies first, then work with you to identify what is actually driving your symptoms.
The treatment for this condition is simple: eliminating gluten in one’s diet.
A gastroenterologist is the doctor who diagnoses and treats gluten intolerance. Your primary care physician can order an initial screening blood test, but a GI specialist is the one who can tell the three overlapping conditions apart — celiac disease (an autoimmune disease that damages the small intestine), wheat allergy (an immune reaction to wheat proteins), and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (real symptoms without the antibodies or intestinal damage). They look similar from the outside and are managed very differently.
This is the single most common mistake, and it matters. Celiac blood tests and biopsies look for the damage and antibodies that gluten produces. If you have already removed gluten from your diet, those markers fade and the tests can come back falsely negative — which means a celiac diagnosis can be missed entirely. Keep eating gluten normally until your gastroenterologist has completed testing, then change your diet with their guidance.
Orlando Gastroenterology evaluates gluten intolerance, celiac disease and related conditions at four Central Florida offices: MetroWest (1507 S Hiawassee Rd Ste 105), East Orlando (1300 N Semoran Blvd), Kissimmee (1132 Cypress Glen Circle) and Clermont (255 Citrus Tower Blvd #207). Offices are open Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Call (407) 445-9224 or text (407) 759-5041. Many insurance plans allow you to schedule directly without a referral.
