ONE in 100 of us is living with coeliac disease – and half a million might not realise they have the autoimmune condition.
Coeliac disease is a condition where your attacks your own tissue when you eat gluten, so every day those 500,000 people are inadvertently making themselves unwell by tucking into cereal for breakfast, bread at lunch or pasta for dinner.
ShutterstockOne in 100 of us is living with coeliac disease[/caption]
SUPPLIEDTristan Humphreys from the charity Coeliac UK says the disease is surprisingly common[/caption]
Speaking to mark this month’s Coeliac Awareness Week, Tristan Humphreys from the charity Coeliac UK says the disease is surprisingly common.
US actress Zooey Deschanel suffers, as well as TV star Caroline Quentin.
He told Sun on Sunday Health: “A lot of people are going about their daily lives feeling unwell and running the risk of long-term health conditions.
“If they continue to eat gluten, not only can they suffer debilitating symptoms in the short-term but they run the risk of serious conditions such as osteoporosis and infertility in the future. In rare cases, it may lead to bowel cancer.”
So what exactly is coeliac disease and how do you know if you have it?
Range of symptoms
“It’s not an allergy or an intolerance,” Tristan explains.
“It requires strict adherence to the gluten free diet. There is sometimes an assumption this is a faddy diet but it is absolutely not that.
“When someone with coeliac disease eats gluten — a protein found in wheat, barley and rye — their immune system attacks their own body, causing damage to the lining of the gut.
“It has a wide range of symptoms, which vary from person to person.”
Symptoms might include diarrhoea, bloating, stomach cramps and constipation.
But there are also lesser-known symptoms including extreme fatigue, persistent mouth ulcers, subfertility and unexplained anaemia.
Some experience recurrent miscarriage and even unexplained neurological symptoms such as ataxia, which affects balance and speech.
He explained: “It’s different for everyone. This isn’t a tick list of things you must suffer to have it.
“Often someone with coeliac disease has a number of symptoms they don’t link together. There is a sense that something is not right.”
On average, it takes 13 years for an adult to be diagnosed after first getting symptoms.
Children suffer though often they are not diagnosed until later in life.
ShutterstockHalf a million Brits might not realise they have the autoimmune condition[/caption]
It’s not known why it develops and why some have more severe symptoms than others.
Many are mistakenly diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, even though NICE guidance suggests GPs must rule out coeliac disease before diagnosing IBS.
It’s diagnosed via a blood test which looks for antibodies produced by people with coeliac disease when they eat gluten.
It’s even more common if you have a family member with the condition — one in ten of those with a close relative have the condition.
There is no cure, but most people diagnosed will live a perfectly healthy and normal life once they follow a gluten free diet.
Tristan says. “The diet is strict but it is manageable.
“Once you follow the diet your gut will heal.”
Anyone who experiences any symptoms or feels curious can take an online assessment on the charity’s website, which depending on your answers to ten questions, advises you on whether you should speak to your GP.
See isitcoeliacdisease.org.uk for more information.
‘Crippling pains in my shoulder blades to whole body’
KAREN Abi-Karam, 49, is a holistic mentor and celebrant from Forest Row, East Sussex, who suffered cramps and exhaustion for years before being diagnosed.
She says: “It was in 2007 that I first remember getting crippling pains in my shoulder blades that spread until my whole torso felt tight.
Karen Abi-Karam suffered cramps and exhaustion for years before being diagnosedCatherine Frawley
“It felt like a very severe cramp. I’d had IBS in my late teens too, though the two were never connected.
“I did have a sense that it was something to do with food but I could not pin it down to any particular meal.
“I made several visits to the doctor but no one could come up with a diagnosis.
“By 2012, I was struggling to concentrate on simple tasks. I couldn’t sleep – I felt wiped out. In 2014, I went to see a doctor who specialises in hormones and nutrition. He ran several blood and urine tests and suggested it might be coeliac disease.
“The test came back positive. I cut out gluten immediately. It took around eight months for me to feel well again.
“It’s incredible to think I was poisoning myself with every meal. I’d been eating gluten at least once a day.
“So many others may be living in pain without realising there is something relatively straight-forward they can do to help.”