Coeliac Awareness Week

March 13-20 is Coeliac Awareness Week.  This year the focus is on children with the topic being "Is Your Child Out Of Sorts?"  I thought Id share some things about Coeliac Disease with you, my dear readers, since Ill be talking about it on my blog a fair bit now that Paige has been diagnosed with it.

Coeliac disease (pronounced seel-ee-ak) is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune means the body mistakenly produces antibodies that damage its own tissues. It is a permanent intestinal intolerance to dietary gluten.

In those with untreated coeliac disease, the lining of the small bowel is damaged and the villi, the small fingerlike projections that line the bowel become inflamed and flattened, thus not absorbing any nutrients from the food that a person eats.   This is reffered as total villous atrophy.

Symptoms can include a bloated stomach, diahrrhoea, constipation, tummy upsets, tiredness, and general failure to thrive.  Paige had all of these symptoms except for the constipation!

Coeliac disease affects 1 in 100 children.

In people with coeliac disease the immune system reacts abnormally to gluten, causing small bowel inflammation and damage. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats.

People are born with a genetic predisposition to develop Coeliac disease, they inherit a particular genetic make up.  A gene test is useful for excluding coeliac disease.

The only way a correct diagnosis can be made is by a small bowel biopsy via a gastroscope, not by blood test alone.

Gluten must be continued to be eaten in order for the diagnosis to be made accurately!  There were so many times I was going to stop the gluten in Paige's diet before her biopsy because I hated seeing her in pain and so sick all of the time!

Untreated coeliac disease can lead to chronic poor health, osteoporosis, infertility, miscarriage, depression and dental enamel defects. There is also a small, but real, increased risk of certain forms of cancer such as lymphoma of the small bowel. In children, undiagnosed coeliac disease can cause lack of proper development, short stature and behavioural problems.


So there you have it, some facts on Coeliac Disease!  Before Paige was diagnosed, I always thought that Coeliac Disease was something only old people had, but was very surprised to learn that it starts in childhood between the ages of 4 and 7 years old, however symptoms can occour at any age.  Rob, Summer and I will be going to get tested soon, I have the screening forms in my bag, just a matter of us getting down there to do it!