Routine testing for coeliac disease is not done in England. People with certain conditions, including type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disease, Down's syndrome and Turner syndrome, have an increased risk of getting coeliac disease.įirst-degree relatives (parents, brothers, sisters and children) of people with coeliac disease are also at increased risk of developing the condition. Reported cases of coeliac disease are higher in women than men. Who's affectedĬoeliac disease is a condition that affects at least 1 in every 100 people in the UK.īut some experts think this may be underestimated because milder cases may go undiagnosed or be misdiagnosed as other digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Less common and more serious complications include some types of cancers, such as bowel cancer, and problems affecting pregnancy, such as your baby having a low birth weight.įind out more about the complications of coeliac disease. vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia.Potential long-term complications include: Complications of coeliac diseaseĬomplications of coeliac disease only tend to affect people who continue to eat gluten, or those who have not yet been diagnosed with the condition, which can be a common problem in milder cases. It's important to ensure that your gluten-free diet is healthy and balanced.Īn increase in the range of available gluten-free foods in recent years has made it possible to eat both a healthy and varied gluten-free diet. This may also be the case if tests show that you have some degree of coeliac disease even if you do not have noticeable symptoms. There's no cure for coeliac disease, but following a gluten-free diet should help control symptoms and prevent the long-term complications of the condition.Įven if you have mild symptoms, changing your diet is still recommended because continuing to eat gluten can lead to serious complications. It's not entirely clear what causes the immune system to act this way, but a combination of genetics and the environment appear to play a part. This damages the surface of the small bowel (intestines), disrupting the body's ability to take in nutrients from food. In coeliac disease, the immune system mistakes substances found inside gluten as a threat to the body and attacks them. This is where the immune system (the body's defence against infection) mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. What causes coeliac disease?Ĭoeliac disease is an autoimmune condition.

disorders that affect co-ordination, balance and speech ( ataxia)Ĭhildren with coeliac disease may not grow at the expected rate and may have delayed puberty.problems getting pregnant (infertility).an itchy rash (dermatitis herpetiformis).tiredness (fatigue) as a result of not getting enough nutrients from food ( malnutrition).diarrhoea, which may smell particularly unpleasantĬoeliac disease can also cause more general symptoms, including:.Symptoms of coeliac diseaseĮating foods that contain gluten can trigger a range of gut symptoms, such as: In addition, most beers are made with barley. Gluten is found in any food that contains those cereals, including: This damages your gut (small intestine) so your body cannot properly take in nutrients.Ĭoeliac disease can cause a range of symptoms, including diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating.Ĭoeliac disease is caused by an adverse reaction to gluten, which is a dietary protein found in 3 types of cereal: Coeliac disease is a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues when you eat gluten.

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