It seems every day of the year and every week has been allocated one or more names. This week has been designated as Coeliac Awareness Week. As a Coeliac diagnosed somewhat late in life, I do feel I should do my bit to make people aware of the issues. The attached poster highlights how symptoms of Coeliac Disease can be very diverse, differing from one individual to another. Some people do not get the abdominal symptoms at all. In children undiagnosed Coeliac Disease may be the cause of otherwise unexplained behavioural or learning problems.
Recent research suggests that the incidence of Coeliac Disease in Australia is possibly as high as 1 person in 70. But the wide range of potential symptoms means that perhaps just one fifth of sufferers have been diagnosed.
The treatment of Coeliac Disease does not require medicines - just a life-time commitment to a gluten-free diet. Self-diagnosis however is definitely not a good approach. A gluten-free diet is more expensive. Ensuring that your gluten-free diet includes the fibre and good balance of nutrients takes some effort. Travel and eating out can be problematical. You may also be deferring diagnosis of some other disease. Plus you must be eating gluten for you to produce the antibodies necessary to trigger the screening blood test for the disease.
Below the poster is a copy of an article that first appeared in Cove News six years ago.
