Press Clippings
The Sunday Sentinel, May 7 2006
Severe symptoms resemble malnutrition ...
In a coeliac, gluten damages the lining of the small intestine which reduces the ability of the gut to absorb nutrients, leading to severe illness resembling malnutrition.
Gluten is the protein found in wheat. In order to return the intestine to normal, people with the condition follow a gluten-free diet.
Coeliac disease used to be rare, but more doctors are beginning to recognise the disorder and the average incidence in the UK is one in 1,000 people.
Coeliac symptoms can manifest themselves at any age, and according to Coeliac Society statistics most coeliacs are diagnosed when aged between 30 and 45 years.
Symptoms include weight loss, vomiting and diarrhoea or chronic symptoms such as tiredness, lethargy and breathlessness.
Testing for Coeliac Disease is normally instigated at GP level by having blood tests to confirm the presence of antibodies, followed by a biopsy.
Find out more at the Coeliac Society UK website at www.coeliac.co.uk or call their helpline on 0870 4448804.
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