Gluten and Coeliac disease

TIANA Organic Coconut Flour is Gluten Free and ideal for those with coeliac disease.

Coeliac disease is not an allergy. It's an auto-immune disease, which means that the body produces antibodies that attack its own tissues. For people with coeliac disease this attack is triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Some people with coeliac disease also react to oats.

Coeliac symptoms

They may range from mild to severe, and can include:

Bloating, diarrhoea, nausea, wind, tiredness, constipation, anaemia, mouth ulcers, headaches, weight loss, hair loss, skin problems, short stature, depression, infertility, recurrent miscarriages and joint/bone pain.

Some symptoms may be confused with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or wheat intolerance, while others may be put down to stress, or getting older. As a consequence, it can take some time before an accurate diagnosis is sought, or made. Following diagnosis and commencement of the gluten-free diet these symptoms cease.

If you suffer from any of the symptoms listed, you could have coeliac disease.

There are three steps to diagnosis:

• Step One:  The first step for a diagnosis is to discuss your concerns and symptoms with your GP. Do not, at this stage, remove gluten from your diet as any tests will not give a true reading. Continue to eat normally - including bread, pasta and cereals. If you have already excluded gluten from your diet, you must re-introduce it for at least six weeks before any diagnostic tests are performed.
  
  
• Step Two: Your GP can take a simple blood test to check for endomysial antibodies (EMA) and/or tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGA). Please note that it is possible to have a negative blood test yet still have coeliac disease.
  
  
• Step Three: Your GP will then refer you to a hospital specialist, a gastroenterologist, for a biopsy of the gut. This involves a flexible viewing tube, known as an endoscope; being passed via your mouth down into the small intestine (this can be done using local anaesthetic on the throat and sedation). A small tissue sample is collected, and then examined under a microscope to check for abnormalities.

After diagnosis you should start a gluten-free diet which provides a complete treatment. 

Dermatitis herpetiformis

Dermatitis herpetiformis, or 'DH', is a skin condition caused by gluten intolerance. It affects fewer people than coeliac disease - around one in 10,000. It can appear at any age but is most commonly diagnosed in those aged 15 - 40.

Symptoms are:

• Red, raised patches, often with blisters that burst with scratching
• Severe itching and often stinging 
• A rash which most commonly occurs on the elbows, knees and buttocks but can affect any area of the skin.

How is it diagnosed?

Confirmation of a diagnosis is made by a simple skin biopsy. A dermatologist (skin specialist) takes a small sample of skin from an unaffected area. This is checked for presence of the 'IgA' (Immunoglobulin A). Antibody blood tests, or a small intestinal biopsy - the same tests used for diagnosing coeliac disease - should also be considered and the dermatologist will ask a gastroenterologist to arrange the biopsy. Even though they may not have gut symptoms, most people with dermatitis herpetiformis have gut inflammation.

How is it treated?

Although a gluten-free diet is the main form of treatment, and the most effective in the long term, it will not work immediately as it does for gut symptoms associated with coeliac disease. Consequently, drug treatment may be necessary. This will control the rash within days, though it will reappear if the drugs are discontinued before a gluten-free diet has taken effect. It can take at least six months before the dose of drugs can be reduced and approximately two years before they can be discontinued completely. The most commonly prescribed drug for this condition is Dapsone.

It is essential to find the lowest effective dose of drug, as side effects are relatively common and can include a form of anaemia, nerve damage, depression and headache.It is important to realise, too, that Dapsone will not benefit other problems caused by gluten sensitivity that the patient with DH might have, such as villous atrophy, anaemia or osteoporosis. A gluten free diet is, therefore, an important part of treatment, as it is for any coeliac patient.

Does this condition increase other risks?

Any possibility of complications is reduced once a gluten-free diet has been established and adhered to. The same complications occur in DH as in coeliac disease, which include osteoporosis, gut cancer and an increased risk of other auto-immune diseases such as thyroid disease or diabetes.

Our Gluten Free TIANA Organic Coconut Flour will help make your gluten free diet tasty and varied.

To find out more about our Gluten Free TIANA Organic Coconut Flour click here

For glutenfree recipes using TIANA coconut flour click here

To buy interesting books about glutenfree cooking click here

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