Coeliac Awareness Week runs this year from 12 to 18 May, and will be focusing on trying to improve availability of gluten-free foods in stores across the UK with the launch of a new ‘Gluten-free Guarantee’ campaign which asks supermarkets to commit to have in stock eight core items of gluten-free food, making it easier for people with the condition to manage their diet, which is their only treatment.
Here are 10 things you may not know about coeliac disease:
- 1 in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease.
- Half a million people with the condition currently undiagnosed in the UK today.
- Average time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis is 13 years.
- 1 in 4 people diagnosed with coeliac disease had previously been diagnosed with IBS.
- Undiagnosed coeliac disease can lead to infertility, osteoporosis and small bowel cancer.
- There is no cure and no medication and the only treatment is a strict gluten-free diet for life.
- Coeliac disease is not an allergy or a food intolerance but an autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten.
- One crumb of gluten can make someone ill, so it is essential there is no cross contamination whilst preparing and serving food.
- There is no register by the NHS to state how many people in the UK have been diagnosed with coeliac disease.
- Coeliac UK has an average of 1200 new members joining each month – membership is available for anyone diagnosed, seeking a diagnosis, supporting a friend or a relative, or trying to find out more about the gluten-free diet.
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