What is Coeliac disease?
It is the development of a permanent intolerance of gluten, the proteins
found in wheat, and similar proteins in rye, barley and oats.
In a Coeliac, gluten damages the lining of
the small intestine, which greatly reduces the ability of the gut to
absorb adequate nutrients from food.
Coeliac symptoms can manifest themselves at any age. In the 1950s it
was thought to be almost exclusively a childhood condition, but now it is
recognised that it affects many more adults than children.
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Symptoms
Coeliacs may be acutely and
severely ill with weight loss, vomiting and diarrhoea or they may have
chronic almost trivial symptoms such as tiredness, lethargy and
breathlessness. Usual symptoms would be somewhere between these extremes.
Adults may have a history of abdominal or intestinal upsets, or they
may suddenly develop the condition at any time. Anaemia, abdominal
discomfort, mouth ulcers and weight loss are common features.
A Coeliac baby would be fit and well until after the introduction of
gluten-containing solids. Then the baby would develop typical pale, bulky,
offensive-smelling stools, become miserable and lethargic and generally
fail to thrive.
Some people are diagnosed as Coeliac without having obvious symptoms.
For example, the condition may be picked up when relatives of a Coeliac
are being studied.
All the symptoms can be characteristic of other medical conditions, so
people should not jump to conclusions but should seek proper medical
advice.
They should not treat themselves with a gluten-free diet before seeking
medical help.
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How
is the condition diagnosed?
It is nearly always diagnosed in the outpatients’ department of a
hospital, by a gastroenterologist. An intestinal biopsy should be
obtained, usually under mild sedation.
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Conventional
treatments
A strict gluten-free diet is the only treatment usually necessary to
return the intestine to normal. Most coeliacs will experience a marked
improvement in their health within a few weeks. To avoid serious
complications the diet is for life.
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Do
many people have Coeiiac disease?
Coeliac disease used to be
rare, but more and more doctors are beginning to recognise the disorder in
their patients. The reported incidence is I in I 000 people but may be
higher It is also known that the condition runs in families.
Source: - The Coeliac Society
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