What we know about coeliac disease as Rebecca Adlington diagnosed with condition

Rebecca Adlington has called connected the authorities to assistance rise consciousness of coeliac illness aft revealing she has been diagnosed with the condition.

The Team GM Olympic swimmer, 36, shared shared a video clip to Coeliac UK’s Instagram relationship connected Wednesday (26 March) revealing details of the information and highlighting a petition, fixed to the government, which item immoderate of the difficulties those surviving with the illness look successful obtaining prescriptions to negociate the condition.

The swimmer and BBC Sports presenter shared that she was "newly diagnosed with coeliac disease" and had rapidly learnt the value of gluten-free prescriptions, but explained that successful immoderate areas these prescriptions are being cut.

She went connected to promote others to get down the petition to support gluten-free prescriptions which has present been handed to the authorities having received 22,826 signatures.

Coeliac illness is simply a information wherever the immune strategy attacks a person’s tissues erstwhile they devour gluten – which is simply a macromolecule people recovered successful grains specified arsenic wheat, barley and rye – damaging the tiny intestine, truthful they are incapable to sorb nutrients.

When a idiosyncratic with coeliac illness consumes gluten, they whitethorn acquisition symptoms similar diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, and fatigue.

Here's what we cognize astir coeliac illness successful the UK

According to the foundation Coeliac UK, the illness is simply a superior autoimmune information caused by a absorption to gluten, a macromolecule recovered successful wheat, barley and rye, which is included successful galore mundane foods. It is not an allergy.

When idiosyncratic with coeliac illness eats gluten, their immune strategy reacts and causes harm to the gut resulting successful a scope of symptoms, immoderate of which tin beryllium precise severe, importantly affecting regular life.

While the information affects 1 successful 100 people, lone 36% of radical having been clinically diagnosed, which means determination is an estimated 500,000 radical surviving successful the UK who are experiencing symptoms.

While figures amusement the incidence of coeliac illness has accrued implicit the past 2 decades, experts judge the summation is owed to amended diagnosis, alternatively than much radical processing the condition.

What are the symptoms of coeliac disease?

Symptoms of coeliac illness tin beryllium recurrent, persistent oregon unexplained.

They whitethorn include:

• fatigue

• mouth ulcers

• anaemia

• fertility issues

• neurological issues specified arsenic numbness successful the hands oregon feet

• abdominal symptoms specified arsenic diarrhoea and bloating.

As the symptoms tin beryllium truthful wide ranging, it’s imaginable to property them to different cause, oregon successful the lawsuit of patients with existing conditions, it tin beryllium overlooked.

In fact, 1 successful 4 radical with coeliac illness has antecedently been treated for oregon misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) anterior to diagnosis of coeliac disease.

That could assistance to explicate wherefore the mean magnitude of clip taken for an big to beryllium diagnosed with the illness from the onset of symptoms is an unthinkable 13 years.

What causes coeliac disease?

One communal misconception, according to the Association of UK Dieticians (BDA) is that coeliac illness is thought to beryllium a familial information with an onset wrong the aboriginal years of life.

However, coeliac illness tin onset astatine immoderate constituent done the lifespan and successful information much than 50% of radical are diagnosed supra the property of 40 successful the UK.

While 40% of the colonisation person the genes associated with coeliac disease, not each make the disease, and it tin manifest astatine immoderate age.

Studies amusement that if idiosyncratic successful a household has the condition, determination is simply a 1 successful 10 accidental of a adjacent comparative processing the disease.

More females assigned astatine commencement thin to beryllium diagnosed than those designated antheral astatine birth.

People with benignant 1 diabetes are connected mean six times much apt to person coeliac illness compared with the wide population. This increases to 10 times for children.

What is the attraction for coeliac disease?

There is nary cure for the condition; the lone attraction is simply a strict gluten escaped fare for life.

Coeliac UK explains that if a gluten escaped fare is not followed, the illness tin pb to nutritional deficiencies and different complications specified arsenic osteoporosis, anaemia, fertility problems and successful immoderate uncommon cases tiny bowel lymphoma.

Coeliac UK recommends learning which foods are people gluten-free:

• All types of rice

• Potato

• Corn (maize)

• Plain meat

• Fish

• Eggs

• Cheese

• Milk

• Most yogurts

• Fruits

• Vegetables

• Pulses (peas, beans and lentils)

Help and support

Coeliac UK is simply a UK foundation for radical with coeliac disease. Its website has utile resources, including accusation astir a gluten-free diet, section groups, volunteering and ongoing campaigns.

You tin besides telephone the Coeliac UK helpline 0333 332 2033, unfastened Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm.

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