By Myles Fitt, Scotland Lead, Coeliac UK

DO you or someone you know suffer from regular stomach cramps, bouts of diarrhoea or loose stools, on-going fatigue, constant and severe mouth ulcers, nausea, vomiting, gas and bloating, or anaemia? If so, it could be due to a condition called coeliac disease.

Coeliac (pronounced see-liac) disease is caused by a reaction of the immune system to gluten – a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. When someone with the condition eats gluten, the body attacks and damages the lining of the gut where food is absorbed, making it difficult for the body to get the nutrients it needs. Gluten is found in many everyday foods such as bread, pasta, cereals, cakes, and biscuits.

While there is no cure or medication, the only treatment being a strict gluten-free diet for life, the good news is once diagnosed and on a gluten-free diet, most people feel much better and their symptoms abate.

In its 50th anniversary year, Coeliac UK is pushing for health professionals and the general public to take coeliac disease more seriously, because delayed diagnosis of coeliac disease can lead to serious complications including osteoporosis, infertility, neurological conditions which can have lifelong debilitating impacts and, in rare cases, small bowel cancer and intestinal lymphoma.

It is estimated one in every 100 people have coeliac disease, which for Scotland means around 53,000 people have the condition yet only around a quarter – an estimated 13,000 – have a confirmed diagnosis.

Coeliac UK is determined to find the remaining, undiagnosed 40,000 people in Scotland through our campaign, is it coeliac disease? It aims to raise awareness about the symptoms which can affect different people in different ways, and can sometimes be mistaken for something else. That sore stomach? Just something I ate. That fatigue? Too many late nights. Those mouth ulcers? Must be a bit run down. But if you are reading this and recognise these symptoms in you or someone you know, and they occur frequently either on their own or in combination, then it is worth asking – is it coeliac disease?

If you think you might have coeliac disease then visit our website www.coeliac.org.uk/isitcoeliacdisease where an online assessment of symptoms can be completed and advice given about whether further investigation by a GP is required. The website also offers more information about coeliac disease and the most common symptoms.

Even though awareness has grown, there still exists a perception that coeliac disease is not that serious because it requires a gluten-free diet as its medical treatment. Many see coeliac disease as just a disease of the gut, when in fact it is a systemic disease that can affect other parts of the body. A coeliac disease diagnosis is often missed because the patient is not presenting with gut symptoms, for example, they may present with neurological symptoms and are directed to a neurologist rather than a gastroenterologist.

Along with getting people diagnosed much earlier, there is also an urgent need for research into the condition. The charity launched a research fund in March to raise £5 million towards research into coeliac disease and other gluten related autoimmune conditions. As part of the launch, the charity has thrown more light on the association with neurological conditions and type 1 diabetes, along with the rare but more severe form of the disease, refractory coeliac disease. For more information visit www.coeliac.org.uk/researchfund.