This week is Coeliac Awareness Week in the UK (11th-17th May 2015) . It’s so important. Here are the facts (Source - Coeliac UK website):
“What is coeliac disease?
Coeliac disease (pronounced see-liac and spelled celiac in other countries) is a lifelong autoimmune disease. It is caused by the immune system reacting to gluten.
How common is coeliac disease?
Coeliac disease is common and affects one in 100 people. However only 24% who have the condition have been diagnosed which means there are currently nearly half a million people who have coeliac disease but don’t yet know. If a first degree family member (such as mother, father, sister or brother) has the condition then the chances of having it increase to one in 10.
What causes coeliac disease?
Coeliac disease is caused by a reaction of the immune system to gluten – a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. When someone with coeliac disease eats gluten, their immune system reacts by damaging the lining of the small intestine.
What are the symptoms of coeliac disease?
Symptoms range from mild to severe, and can include bloating, diarrhoea, nausea, wind, constipation, tiredness, mouth ulcers, sudden or unexpected weight loss (but not in all cases), hair loss and anaemia.
What is the treatment for coeliac disease?
Once diagnosed, the only treatment for coeliac disease is a gluten-free diet. Gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye. Some people are also sensitive to oats. Once gluten is removed from the diet, you should start to feel much better.”
(Below, from the NHS website):
Complications of coeliac disease only tend to affect people who continue to eat gluten or who have yet to be diagnosed with the condition, which can be a common problem in milder cases.
Potential long-term complications include:
osteoporosis (weakening of the bones)
vitamin B12 and folate deficiency anaemia
Less common and more serious complications include those affecting pregnancy, such as having a low-birth weight baby, and some types of cancers, such as bowel cancer.”
Coeliac disease can affect anyone. Some Coeliacs do not have symptoms, or have very mild symptoms and only find out about the condition due to family members being diagnosed.
This essentially means that those of us living with the disease have to cut out foods such as pasta, bread, pizza, cakes, some breakfast cereals, ready made foods and do a lot of research before eating out. Gluten is hidden is lots of foods that you wouldn’t even know about - soy sauce, mustard, some mayonnaise, cous cous, some sweets, some chocolate, even chips sometimes have a wheat coating!
To top it off, even a single gluten-containing breadcrumb falling into our food by accident can make us ill. Cross contamination of gluten is a great fear for Coeliacs and those with other gluten related illnesses, so special preparation areas are often needed, at home and in eateries.
As you can see living gluten free is far from easy. GF alternatives are becoming more and more available all the time but we need your help.
The more people who are aware, the more companies will cater for us, so please reblog this, share it with friends and family, on other sites, print it out and stick it up somewhere, and not only could you be helping to diagnose someone, you could be making a difficult illness slightly easier to live with.
If you have any of the above symptoms please go to your doctor. If you would like to donate to Coeliac UK please do so here. If you have questions about the illness you can message me, but I would recommend going to Coeliac UK or the NHS website for more details, as I can only use my own experience, I’m not a doctor.
** It is also important to know that some people can have gluten intolerance, or sensitivities. This means their illness is not auto-immune like Coeliac disease but often has similar symptoms. People with these illnesses may not have to remove gluten all together as they may be able to tolerate small amounts without damaging the gut.
