Conditions
Coeliac Disease
Coeliac disease affects around 1 in 100 people in the UK. The disease is caused by intolerance to gluten which can be found in wheat, rye and barley and affects the bowel. The immune system, of sufferers, mistakenly attacks the gluten in the digestive system, presuming it is harmful, this causes symptoms of diarrhoea, weight loss and stomach pain. It can affect people of any age, although it is most common in 40 to 50 year olds.
In babies, further symptoms can be found; a swollen stomach, bulky pale poo, and failure to grow and gain weight. In children, watch out for poor growth, oily poo that is difficult to flush away, and tiredness and breathlessness caused by anaemia. Gluten intolerance damages the gut, which stops vitamins and minerals, like iron, from being absorbed, which triggers anaemia.
If you suspect your child may have Coeliac disease see a GP, do not attempt to cut out gluten without a proper diagnosis. This is done through a blood test and, if needed, a gut biopsy.
Although there is no cure for Coeliac disease, the symptoms can be managed through a strict gluten-free diet. Foods to avoid are: bread, pasta, cake and biscuits, crackers, cereals, pies and pastries, oats, gravy and sauces. However, gluten-free bread, pasta and other products are readily available at supermarkets, so keeping control is fairly easy.
If a gluten-free diet is not maintained some quite serious complications can occur; such as Osteoporosis (brittle bones disease), malnutrition, other intolerances like Lactose (milk) intolerance could develop and an increased risk of bowel cancer.
For more information about Coeliac Disease and gluten-free diet and recipe advice, see: Glutafin, Trufree and Dietary Specials
Comments and Questions
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Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.
My son is 3 years old. I have CD and he often vomits/suffers with tummy pain and has loose bowel movements. He is also a little hyeractive and often gets itchy rashes on his skin. I had him tested (blood test) for CD and it came back negative. We were then discharged from the hospital (who did the tests). If it isn't CD - what can it be?
My son was tested for coeliac ! He is 4 . It was negative but his iga levels are very low which makes the test for coeliac false! As children with low iga levels are inclined to be coeliac.. Makes no sense to me! I know he suffers loose poo about 10 times a day .. It is interfering with his school life.. What do I do??
My son is 11 and has been chronically constipated since birth (it took him 72 hours to pass meconium). We have had a horrendous time, 1 consultant basically called me a lazy parent because he had a nappy on aged 2 and a half, he was impacted and I had taken him to A&E. He has been off dairy then told to put him back on it as he was calcium deficiant, on high fibre then told to reduce it as it was causing to much bulk, had at least 4 oral abscesses due to weak tooth enamel(he was taking 40 mls of lactulose a day at 4 months old!!!!!) he has had picosulphate, movicol, lactulose and exlax. nothing seems to be working, at least once a fortnight he has "overflow" issues and soils himself, bedding, underwear etc...I am at my wits end! Doctors constantly tell me its a dietary issue but do not seem to grasp that this has been an issue since birth so how can it possibly be dietary or emotional??? How do I get people to listen to me?
Did he have the movicol twice a day regularly for a week or so. Needs to be taken regularly with lots of water. I have 2 sachets morning and night and keep well and mostly empty on that. The key is regular-not just when he's uncomfortable. Might need to be on it for life. Good luck.
Hi I'm 15, I get incredibly painful stabbing stomach pains after eating foods such as pasta or too many fatty foods, I will also find that every month I will get diarrhoea and I also feel very sick.. After having too many days off school my mum took me to the doctors where they decided to do a blood test for celiac but my doctor thought I could just have a bit of IBS, it came out negative so my mum stopped me going to the doctors which was really frustrating. As I have only had this the past few years I have tried to just cope with it but then I had a friend who is gluten intolerant that told me a blood test for celiac 9 times out of 10 is wrong and not accurate. The pains are getting gradually worse and I would really like to have an answer as I am a keen sportswoman and pasta and foods with gluten is a large part of my diet.. Is it likely I do have celiac or could there be something else wrong?
This sounds very similar to my experiences before being diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. I was so frustrated with continuously feeling ill despite a negative blood test, that I kept going back to the doctors until they did more and went further with a biopsy. After 2 years of feeling much like you do, I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease, and being quite sporty, was really pleased to find that I could eat lots of gluten free pasta and other foods similar to my previous diet, but free from gluten. Don't give up, if you want to feel well, go to the doctors without your mum. Sometimes we've got to take control and push ahead to get the answer we want. Wishing you all the Best.
My doctor is testing me for CD....if the results show positive she says the next step will be colonoscopy. Reading this site and other information I thought that Endoscopy would be the form of diagnosis? Please can I have advice on the most appropriate course of action Thank You
I have had colonscopy after i was dignoised with crohns disease but i have coeliac disease and had it since age 4 im now 42 but i found out i had crohns disease 3 years ago you should ask to be tested for crohns and coeliax as they both have same side effects aswell as ibs dont get fobed off make it clear what you want as you know your body and pain and good luck
My daughter has just been dishcharged from hospital with movicol to treat an impacted bowel, they have told me to give her weetabix, brown bread etc. I am now concerned that she could have C.D am I not aggrivating the problem?, She is 4 years old has lost weight and regularly has accidents. We have an appointment on thursday, I have spoken to them this morning and been told they will perform the test, I am angry they didn't suggest it.
If your daughter has CD she will need to eat lots of gluten to ensure the tests are accurate. It is awful eating gluten while you are waiting for tests etc. (I know, I've been there). Try to get your doctors to do the tests quickly to reduce the misery to the shortest possible time.
If you have already excluded gluten from your diet you can have a 'false negative' when tested, you must continue to eat gluten to get a proper diagnosis. Check out Coeliac UK's website www.coeliac.org.uk there is some info on there about how to get diagnosed. I found it really useful.
A lttle bit cross about Coeliacs appearing on "embarassing Bodies". I am 50 yrs old and have been Coeliac since I was 14. Yes, I may be a bit underweight but didn't realise I was supposed to be embarassed about my body. On a more helpful note, things have changed a lot since I was first diagnosed. My mum and me used to have baking days. Now you can pretty much buy what you need. Also I love bread msker. I would advise anyone to get one.
Does anyone find that often Drs/ Hospitals have very little information / advice on Coeliac Disease? It sometimes seem like they feel that it's dead easy to just avoid 'wheat' (their words not mine!). They don't appear to grasp the cross contamination, mass produced, hidden gluten in products and the various levels of 200 ppmillion of gluten which often cause reactions in Coeliacs. I think the C4 programme is great at this but I'd welcome knowing what others find and which hospitals are the best. I've found I've learnt more from groups like Coeliac UK, GFGuerrialls etc than from the Dr. Sad but true. I wish there were more online resources for teenagers as it's hard for them to come to terms with GF when their mates are snacking on fast foods...
i am gettin to this stage now with my 9 year old daughter who was diagnosed at 15 months with coeliac it is very hard to find eating out places at best of times never mind fast food i have saw a gr8 improvement over the last 8 years about the knowledge but its still not enough
While in hospital last year (the one i was diagnoised in) for an operatation, when i told staff i needed gf food (including nurses) they looked at me like i had two heads, hadnt a clue what it meant. They coped alright till my last day, wasnt supposed to stay for lunch but did, didnt get the right paper slip to say i needed special food. complained to staff, they said just write it by hand that i needed it to be gf. got soup which had bread in it, not exactly gf!!!
My son is 15 and at 6 was diagnosed with crohn's disease.He had diarrhoea for a fews months before he had a large bleed, and was in hospital for 2 weeks, and 2 month later diagnosed. Now my daughter aged 14 months has had diarrhoea for 5 months now,very smelly,mucus,and pale have to change her nappy about 10 times a day.Always rubbing her tummy, crys all the time.Been told she got baby diarrhoea,could it be something else?
it defo could b coeliac my daughter was 15 months wen diagnosed at 1st we kept gettin told she had a bug picked up on holiday but we kept takin her back and eventually she was admitted to hospital and all the tests carried out
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