Coeliac's Disease

Coeliac's Disease (which may be called simply "Coeliac Disease") is also known by its medical name Gluten Enteropathy. Coeliac Disease is a condition in which the small intestine does not digest and absorb food normally.

Cause of Coeliacs Disease:

Coeliac Disease is due to a sensitivity of the intestinal lining to the protein gliadin, which is contained in gluten (in the germ of wheat and rye) and causes atrophy of the digestive and absorptive cells of the intestine.

Symptoms & Effects of coeliac disease may include:

In Childhood:

• no symptoms until gluten-containing foods are introduced into the diet
• poor appetite
• failure to gain weight, stunted growth
• vomiting, diarrhoea
• swollen stomach.

In Adulthood:

• distended abdomen - bloating, sometimes with flatulence
• pale, frothy, foul-smelling stools
• weight loss
• constipation
• extreme tiredness

Medical Tests and Treatments for coeliac disease may involve:

• Diagnosis may involve a biopsy of the jejunum.
• Treatment is adoption of a strict gluten-free diet.
  Due to the increased awareness (and possibly prevalence) of this condition many supermarkets now stock clearly marked "gluten-free" foods and some even have dedicated sections of such products.

Some sources estimate that coeliac disease affects approx. 0.1 - 0.2% population but this can only be a very approximate guide because figures vary from place to place and statistics are not available in all areas.