Coeliac Awareness week

This week is Coeliac Awareness week, supported by the charity Coeliac UK.

What is Coeliac Disease?

• A lifelong autoimmune disease caused by intolerance to gluten
• 1 in 100 people have the condition
• Symptoms include bloating, diarrhoea, nausea, wind, constipation, tiredness, headaches, sudden or unexpected weight loss (but not in all cases), hair loss and anaemia
• Once diagnosed, it is treated by following a gluten-free diet for life
• Dermatitis herpetiformis is the skin manisfestation of coeliac disease.

This year's awareness campaign focuses on the availability of gluten-free food in shops and supermarkets.

What’s it about?

Sticking to a gluten free diet is the only treatment for coeliac disease. This campaign asks supermarkets to sign up to a "Gluten-free Guarantee" which means having eight core gluten-free items available in their stores so that you can manage your condition more easily. 

New pharmacy Gluten Free Food Service
People diagnosed with coeliac disease can receive staple food items on prescription on the NHS. There is a new service in Scotland which allows these gluten free foodstuffs to be obtained directly from the pharmacy, without having to see you GP. It's a great service and cuts out the possibility of mistakes being made with prescriptions, allows slightly more flexibility for people in terms of the products they can use and hopefully offers great service and care for people with coelliac disease.

To find out more about this service you can read about it over at NHS inform, or pop in to Barnton Pharmacy and out friendly team will answer your questions and get you set up for the gluten free food service.

Coeliac Awareness Week 2013

This week is Coeliac UK Awareness Week 2013 and we are taking part in the campaign to try to identity some of  the half a million people in the UK with undiagnosed coeliac disease.

What is it?

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by an intolerance to gluten. Gluten is a protein in wheat, barley and rye, so is found in cereals, bread and pasta.

The symptoms of coeliac disease vary from person to person, and can be mild or severe, which can make it difficult to diagnose but can include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, tiredness and a general feeling of being "not right".

Come in and talk to us if you are worried about your symptoms and we can help you decide what to do next.

What can be done about it?
If you suffer from the symptoms you can ask your GP for a simple blood test to check for antibodies associated with coeliac disease. Your GP will refer you for further investigation to confirm diagnosis.

After diagnosis
Once diagnosed, coeliac disease is treated with a gluten-free diet for life. Taking gluten out of your diet allows your gut to heal and your symptoms to improve. Companies like Glutafin and Juvela make a wide range of gluten free products and some of them are available on prescription.

Coeliac UK have loads of information and advice to help people with coeliac disease.