Coeliac Disease is an autoimmune disease also known as an digestive condition. It can be found in wheat, barley or rye; it triggers an immune reaction in people with ‘celiac disease’ this is because eating the gluten in these foods damages the lining of the small intestine and can also affect other parts of the body.

Silent: If you have silent coeliac disease, you will have no symptoms or very mild symptoms. However, damage to your small intestine can still occur, as well as long-term complications, such as osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) or failure to grow at the normal rate. Minor: If you have minor Coeliac disease you experience a wider range of symptoms which are often intermittent and sometimes they can appear unrelated to diet and digestive symptoms can include: Indigestion, abdominal pain, vomiting, anaemia, bloating, weight loss, loss of appetite and hair loss. Major: with major Coeliac disease you may experience more severe symptoms which are caused by the digestive system and not properly digesting food (malabsorption) symptoms include: weigh loss, abdominal cramps, muscle spasms, swelling of hands feet and arms which is caused by build up of fluid(oedema), dirrehoe which occurs in the night.

 Can be mistaken for Irritable bowel Syndrome. (IBS)  Celiac is not a food allergy or food intolerance.  The inflammation in the gut is caused by the ‘Ville's’ in the small intestine being flattened.  Celiac develops when the immune system becomes sensitised to gluten.

Adults  Anaemia  Bloating  Excess wind  Deficiency of nutrients.  Skin Condition. Children  Pale, smelly faeces.  Diarrhoea  Anaemia  Poor Growth  Muscles wasting in arms and legs.  Babies  Poor weight gain  Poor growth  Swollen abdomen  Pale and bulky faeces  Repeated vomiting.

 The main treatment for the Coeliac disease is to not eat foods which contain gluten, so to have a gluten free-diet.  Having Coeliac disease weakens the spleen making individuals more vulnerable to infection, which therefore may require several immunisations suchas:  -The Flu Jab. (Influenza.)  -The Hib Vaccine: this protects against blood poisoning, pneumonia and Hib Meningitis.  -The Pneumococcal Vaccine: which protects against infections caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae

 The main group for the Coeliac disease is ‘Coeliac UK’.