By Annette Allison
Do you often have an upset tummy, and little or no energy? If you answered “yes”, have you asked your doctor about it? If you haven’t asked, why not? One in 100 people in Australia have coeliac disease, but 75 percent of them are not diagnosed and therefore don’t know it.
“This is simply not good enough,” stresses Kristine Ash, executive officer of the Coeliac Research Fund. “Untreated coeliac disease can kill. We are desperately trying to improve diagnosis rates with our new ‘MOJO’ campaign [see below], which encourages anyone with unexplained tiredness, bloating or tummy upsets to put their hand up and ask their doctor for coeliac tests.”
Here Kristine answers some common questions about coeliac disease.
Imagine a shag pile carpet versus a threadbare carpet and you have a good idea of what happens to the villi of untreated coeliacs. Damaged in this way, they are unable to absorb the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients we all need for healthy growth and bodily function. Sufferers become literally “starved” and their bodies can’t function properly.
Most importantly, do not self-diagnose by eliminating gluten from your diet before having the tests. You need a proper medical diagnosis to confirm or eliminate the presence of the disease and gauge the extent of damage to the small intestine. You also need to be properly advised about where gluten is found — it’s not just in wheat, barley, oats and rye, but also in a myriad of processed foods.
Make an appointment with your doctor
Organise coeliac tests
Judge the results with your doctor
Omit gluten from your diet if your doctor advises it
For further information, visit www.coeliacresearchfund.org or call 1300 990 273.
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