Coeliac Disease Awareness and Treatment
What is coeliac disease?
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to react to gluten.
This reaction can take hours to weeks after consuming gluten and can affect almost all of the body.
Coeliac disease affects at least 1 in every 100 people in the UK.
Coeliac disease symptoms
Symptoms can differ depending on the person. Some people may have no symptoms, whilst others have severe symptoms.
Symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain or cramps
- Feeling or being sick
- Constipation or diarrhoea
- Tingling in the feet and hands
- Feeling tired and weak
- Weight loss
You may have symptoms unrelated to the digestive system, such as depression, headaches, and cognitive impairment.
Diagnosing coeliac disease
Your gastroenterologist may carry out one or more of the following tests:
- Blood test – to test the level of antibodies
- Endoscopy – to look for damage in the small intestine
It is important to continue eating gluten until you have your tests. Reducing your gluten intake can affect your test results.
Coeliac disease treatment
There is no cure for coeliac disease, though you can manage this condition by removing gluten from your diet. This is for life.
With time, your small intestine should become less inflamed and should start to heal.
Gluten is a protein in:
- Wheat
- Barley
- Rye
Look for the gluten-free symbol on your food when shopping.
Your symptoms will return if you start eating gluten again.
Doctors do not yet fully understand what causes coeliac disease; it may be hereditary, the result of an earlier digestive infection or due to other diseases such as type 1 diabetes. It also has no known cure. If you have the disease, you must avoid gluten-based food in your diet for the rest of your life (dieticians and support groups can help you adjust to this new lifestyle).
Visit our Coeliac Disease page to learn more about coeliac disease awareness and treatment. You can also watch our helpful video guides.
Contact us for further information and to book an initial in-person or remote consultation today.
