Can Celiac Cause Fever? | The Gluten Fever Connection

Yes, celiac disease can cause fever in some people, typically as an atypical symptom linked to systemic inflammation or as a presentation of fever.

Most people picture stomach pain, bloating, or fatigue when they think of celiac disease. Fever probably doesn’t come to mind. So when a low-grade or even recurrent fever shows up with no clear cause, it’s easy to blame a passing virus or stress. But in a small number of cases, the fever may trace back to undiagnosed celiac disease.

This connection isn’t common, but case reports and review articles suggest it’s real. The fever can appear as a symptom of active inflammation, an increased susceptibility to infections in untreated celiac, or even as a manifestation of periodic fever syndrome. Here’s what the research shows and how to know if your fever might be linked to gluten.

How Celiac Disease Can Lead to a Fever

The link between celiac disease and fever isn’t a simple one. In some people, the immune reaction to gluten doesn’t stay confined to the gut. When gluten-specific T cells in the intestinal lining become activated, they release pro‑inflammatory cytokines. These signaling molecules can travel through the bloodstream and affect the body’s temperature regulation center.

This mechanism is the leading theory for why some undiagnosed patients develop a fever of unknown origin. A 2013 case report published in PMC describes an adult who had recurrent fevers with no apparent infection, and whose symptoms resolved entirely once they started a gluten‑free diet.

There’s also evidence that untreated celiac disease makes people more vulnerable to viral and bacterial infections. A 2024 review found that celiac patients, especially those not following a strict diet, have a higher infection risk than the general population. Those infections can, of course, cause fever.

Why Fever Gets Overlooked as a Celiac Symptom

Fever is not listed in the classic symptom checklist for celiac disease, so both patients and clinicians tend to look elsewhere first. This section explains the common reasons the connection gets missed.

• Atypical symptom status: Medical textbooks list diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition as hallmark signs. Fever is considered an atypical symptom, which means many doctors don’t think to test for celiac when a patient complains only of fever.
• Overlap with common illnesses: A low‑grade fever could easily be blamed on a cold, the flu, or stress. Unless other celiac red flags (like chronic digestive issues or anemia) are present, the fever may be dismissed as unrelated.
• Intermittent nature: The fever in celiac disease can come and go. It might not follow a clear pattern, making it hard to connect to gluten exposure. Some case reports describe periodic fever episodes that look like autoinflammatory syndromes.
• Lack of public awareness: Most people associate gluten issues with bloating or “brain fog,” not temperature changes. Even health websites rarely list fever as a possible symptom, so it doesn’t enter the patient’s radar.
• Underlying infections: Because untreated celiac increases infection susceptibility, the fever may be caused by a real infection that is itself triggered by the immune dysregulation. The root cause remains celiac disease.

Recognizing these blind spots is important. If you have unexplained or recurrent fevers and any other celiac risk factors — family history, autoimmune conditions, or vague GI complaints — testing might be worth discussing.

Celiac Disease as a Cause of Fever of Unknown Origin

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) is defined as a temperature above 38.3°C (101°F) lasting three weeks without explanation after initial work‑up. Doctors typically investigate infections, cancers, and autoimmune diseases. Celiac disease is rarely on that initial list, but the evidence suggests it should be.

A 2013 case report in the NIH/PMC database described an adult patient with FUO whose fevers resolved after starting a gluten‑free diet. The authors noted that at the time, no prior reports of this presentation existed. Since then, additional cases have emerged, including a 2015 study linking periodic fevers with significant changes in cellular immunity.

Researchers propose that undiagnosed celiac disease can cause FUO through the activation of fever of unknown origin mechanisms — specifically the pro‑inflammatory cytokine release from gluten‑activated T cells. This inflammatory cascade can generate fever even in the absence of classic gastrointestinal symptoms.

Signs That Your Fever Might Be Related to Celiac

There’s no single test for “gluten fever.” But a few patterns may increase the likelihood that your fever is connected to celiac disease.

1. Recurrent fevers without clear infection: If you have repeated episodes of fever that aren’t accompanied by sore throat, cough, or other infectious symptoms — especially if blood tests don’t show an infection — consider gluten.
2. Presence of other atypical symptoms: Unexplained fatigue, joint pain, anemia, or skin rashes (like dermatitis herpetiformis) alongside fever can point toward celiac disease.
3. Family history of celiac or autoimmune disease: Celiac has a strong genetic component. Having a first‑degree relative with the condition raises your risk, and fever could be an unusual presentation.
4. Improvement on a gluten‑free diet: A careful trial of a strict gluten‑free diet under medical supervision may reveal whether the fever resolves. This shouldn’t replace formal diagnosis.

Keep in mind that celiac disease is only one of many possible causes of FUO. But in the right context, it’s worth ruling out with a blood test for tissue transglutaminase IgA.

What the Research Says About Periodic Fevers and Celiac

A separate but related finding involves periodic fever syndrome. This is a condition marked by recurrent fevers that come and go without infection. A 2021 case report described a 6‑year‑old girl diagnosed with periodic fever syndrome who was later found to have celiac disease.

The exact relationship isn’t fully understood. The child’s fever episodes showed distinct changes in cellular immunity that are not typical of standard celiac presentations. Researchers speculate that in genetically predisposed individuals, viral infections — such as Epstein‑Barr virus — may act as triggers for both the fever pattern and the development of celiac disease.

According to a paper in Paom, the proposed mechanism for fever in undiagnosed celiac involves gluten-specific T cells inflammation. Once activated, these T cells produce a cascade of cytokines that can raise body temperature. This same inflammatory environment may also increase vulnerability to other infections that further drive fever.

This table highlights how celiac disease can present very differently across individuals. Fever sits squarely in the atypical column, but it is a recognized possibility — especially when inflammation or recurrent infections are involved.

The Bottom Line

Celiac disease can cause fever in a minority of patients, either through direct inflammation or by raising susceptibility to infections that produce fever. While it’s not a common symptom, fever of unknown origin and periodic fever syndromes are two clinical scenarios where celiac disease should be on the differential diagnosis list. If you have unexplained recurring fevers along with any other celiac risk factors or atypical symptoms, a simple blood test may provide answers.

Because fever can have many serious causes, it’s important to rule out infection, malignancy, and other autoimmune diseases first. Your primary care doctor or a gastroenterologist can help decide whether celiac testing fits your history and lab findings.