42% of coeliac sufferers go misdiagnosed for over a year
Some people display the symptoms of the illness for up to a decade before they finally get the diagnosis that will allow them return to full health.
One in every 100 people in Ireland become seriously ill if they eat gluten as their intestine cannot absorb it. If the illness isn’t diagnosed, they risk a serious deterioration in their health.
In this Coeliac Awareness Week, the Coeliac Society of Ireland wants people to become aware that chronic tiredness, notable weight loss, anaemia, recurrent mouth ulcers, vomiting or diarrhoea are all symptoms of the illness.
It is estimated 46,000 people in Ireland are sufferers and the disease can develop at any stage in life.
Coeliac society CEO Grainne Denning said if a person suspects they have problems after eating gluten, they shouldn’t just switch to a gluten-free diet but should seek a doctor’s diagnosis.
“It is absolutely essential that they get a confirmed diagnosis,” she said.
A total 39% of respondents to Coeliac Society research said it took over one year for a positive diagnosis of their disease, 12% said that it took over five years for a diagnosis, while 11% waited 10 years or more to be diagnosed.
Other signs of coeliac disease are a failure to thrive in children, flatulence, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach pain and bloating, indigestion and bone pain. Recurrent miscarriage and infertility can also be a sign of coeliac diseases.
Some people display many of these symptoms while others may only have one or two.
“The only treatment for coeliac disease is to follow a gluten-free diet,” said Ms Denning. “While some choose to eat gluten-free simply because they think it’s a healthier lifestyle, those with coeliac disease must do so or they will suffer serious health consequences and severe pain.”
Coeliac disease is an auto-immune disease preventing those affected from digesting gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.
When a person has coeliac disease, the villi in their intestine are flattened by gluten and they can’t absorb nutrients from their food.
Elimination of gluten from the diet halts the inflammatory condition in the intestine and prevents complications of the disease.
