Coeliac check

Coeliac disease is very common – affecting about 1% of the population. Coeliac disaese is a digestive problem where the your gut has an adverse reaction to gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Hence it is in most breakfast cerals, bread, pasta and cakes. Most beers include barley.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by a sensitivity to gluten. It can come on at any age, but most people are diagnosed in adulthood. Once you have coeliac disease you will have it for life. Exposure to gluten causes inflammation in the lining of the small intestine causing discomfort, bloating and diarrhoea. Food and nutrients may not be digested effectively which can lead to other symptoms.  Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Hence it is in most breakfast cerals, bread, pasta and cakes. Most beers include barley.

Coeliac disease is common, affecting approximately 1 in 100 people. However, this rises to 1 in 10 people if a close family member has the condition or if you already suffer from an autoimmune disease. It is controlled by eliminating gluten from the diet.

It is important to eat gluten with each meal for 6 weeks prior to this test. This maximises the chance of detecting coeliac disease on the test. If this advice isn’t followed then there is a danger of coeliac disease being missed by the test.  If you are already following a gluten free diet, the test will not be a reliable indication either way.

We test for Coeliac by testing for the presence of Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA.. This is an autoantibody produced in the immune response seen in Coeliac disease.