Coeliac disease is not the same as an allergy to wheat. Coeliac disease is a well defined, serious illness where the body’s immune system attacks itself when gluten is eaten. This causes damage to the lining of the gut and means that the body cannot properly absorb nutrients from food.

Coeliac disease is not a food allergy or intolerance, it is an autoimmune disease.

Wheat allergy is a reaction to proteins found in wheat, triggered by the immune system and usually occurs within seconds or minutes of eating.

There is no reason why this scheme cannot be successful in either rural or urban areas. Using an online claim service would ensure efficiency and that GP dispensaries work to the same enhanced service contract as the pharmacies.

The blood tests look for antibodies that your body produces when you eat gluten so if you are not eating gluten you will not be producing antibodies and so the result will come back negative.

It is recommended that you eat some gluten in more than one meal every day for at least six weeks before testing.

The recommendation is to eat some gluten in more than one meal every day for at least six weeks before getting tested for coeliac disease. Find out why you should keep eating gluten throughout the diagnosis process.

We really appreciate all the work you do to support people living with coeliac disease and want to make sure that you have the resources and tools you need to do so. As an HCP Member of Coeliac UK you will have access to the following:

• Live Well Gluten Free app
• Food and Drink Guide
• electronic newsletters
• Helpline support
• Food and Drink Information
• Venue Guide on our website
• Recipe Database on our website
• online publications and leaflets
• monthly Food and Drink Guide updates
• food alerts
• Crossed Grain magazine
• HCP forum

In order to provide these benefits free of charge to healthcare professionals, we will be asking members to renew on a yearly basis.

The Codex Standard was revised in 2008. Everyone with coeliac disease is different in terms of their level of sensitivity to gluten. Most people with coeliac disease can tolerate a low level of gluten without ill effects. However, some people are more sensitive and can only safely eat foods that contain no more than 20 parts per million (ppm) gluten. The new standard provides safer limits overall and also help people with coeliac disease to make clearer choices on products they buy. The term gluten-free can only be used on products that contain no more than 20 ppm gluten.

Coeliac UK funded the initial project of Professor Bob Anderson which identified the most important gluten peptides causing problems for people with coeliac disease. This research formed the basis of further research and eventually the development of the NexVax2 vaccine. Work in this area is ongoing, the availability of a vaccine is still many years away whilst the essential process of testing for safety, dosage, effectiveness and possible side effects are determined.

Coeliac UK has also funded research which provides a greater understanding of the disease process in coeliac disease and research which can potentially identify new targets for treatment or a cure. 

You can access ‘Gluten-free foods: a revised prescribing guideline’ on the Coeliac UK website. This guideline provides recommendations on prescribing reasonable quantities of gluten-free staple foods for people diagnosed with coeliac disease.

Coeliac disease affects all ethnic groups and is common in Europe and North America, as well as in southern Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and South America.