Gut reaction

Around one in 100 people suffers from coeliac disease. Yet four out of five sufferers don't know they have it. If it goes undiagnosed, however, coeliac disease can increase your risk for more serious health problems such as osteoporosis, infertility and even gut cancer.

So what are the symptoms?

If you suffer from coeliac disease, you may suffer from one or more of the following:

• Bloating, diarrhoea, constipation and wind
• Vomiting and nausea
• Tiredness and weakness
• Mouth ulcers, headaches, anaemia
• Weight loss
• Hair and/or skin problems
• Depression
• Joint and bone pain
• If a child suffers from coeliac disease, it may also affect their growth and overall development.

What causes it?

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten - a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Some people with coeliac disease find that eating oats causes their symptoms too.

If you have coeliac disease, every time you eat gluten your digestive system reacts. Tiny, finger-like projections in the lining of the gut - called villi - become inflamed, making your digestive system unable to absorb food properly. As a result, you miss out on essential nutrients such as calcium and iron.

The damage all that inflammation does to your gut also causes embarrassing digestive problems such as wind, bloating, constipation and diarrhoea.

Coeliac disease can run in families. If a close relative is a coeliac disease sufferer, you have a one-in-10 greater risk of developing it than someone who does not have coeliac disease in their family.

According to experts, you're more likely to have coeliac disease if you suffer from type 1 diabetes, epilepsy, ulcerative colitis or autoimmune thyroid disease.

People from the west of Ireland, from the Punjab region of India, Pakistan, the Middle East and North Africa are also more susceptible to it.

How is it diagnosed?

If your doctor suspects you have coeliac disease you will be given a blood test to check for one or two types of antibodies. If the test comes back positive you will be referred to your local hospital, where a gastroenterologist will take a biopsy of your gut. The tissue sample is then examined, and the diagnosis can be confirmed.

However, since several of the symptoms are similar to those found in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), many sufferers are mistakenly diagnosed as having IBS. Others simply blame stress or ageing for their symptoms.

This may explain why many sufferers wait such a long time before they get a diagnosis (according to Coeliac UK, people with the disease wait an average of 13 years before they are diagnosed).

How do you treat it?

Coeliac disease is a lifelong condition that cannot be cured. It can, however, be effectively managed by following a gluten-free diet. This means not eating foods such as bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits, pastries, pies, pizzas and many types of breakfast cereals.

You can, however, eat a wide range of foods, including meat, fish, dairy foods, fruit, vegetables, rice, maize, beans and pulses. A growing range of gluten-free foods are also available in pharmacies and supermarkets - some are even available on prescription.

For more information, ask your pharmacist for advice or visit www.coeliac.org.uk