What Is Coeliac Disease? by Jane Thurnell-Read

Also known as gluten-sensitivity entropathy or non-tropical sprue. An inflammatory disease of the intestine, with damage to the villi of the intestine leading to malabsorption, caused by a reaction to gluten.

What

foods contain gluten?

Gluten is present in wheat, barley and rye, giving them their sticky quality when they are mixed with water. The harder varieties of wheat have more gluten. Durum wheat used to make pasta has the highest levels of gluten. Wheat used to make biscuits/cookies, cakes and pastries has the lowest levels of gluten. There are lower levels of gluten in barley and rye. Cereal binder, cereal filler, starch, cereal protein, modified starch, edible starch, food starch, rusk and vegetable protein may contain gluten. Some people also avoid oats, but a five-year study of coeliacs in Finland (M Uusitupa , et al. 'Gut' 2002; Volume 50) found that those who avoided oats experienced no significant difference in their intestinal health compared to those who did not.

What are the symptoms of coeliac disease?

Typical symptoms include extreme tiredness, weight loss and diarrhoea. Damage to the intestinal wall can allow other food molecules through, setting off further reactions to other foods. There are genetic factors involved particularly where coeliac disease starts early in a child's life. Coeliac disease can start as an adult, when an underlying genetic tendency is exacerbated by some environmental trigger. The genetic predisposition involves the body producing antibodies to one of its own enzymes, that is involved in the breakdown of gluten in the intestine. Where coeliac disease runs in families, some members may suffer from dermatitis herpetiformis instead. It is important to realise that not everyone who reacts to wheat is a coeliac or sensitive to gluten, but many people with grain sensitivity are reacting to some other constituent of the grain.

Please note that these pages are for information only and are not a substitute for a consultation with a suitably qualified health professional.