If you or someone you love has been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease, you could be eligible to receive gluten free foods on prescription. Simply select your country of residence, and, if you live in England, fill in your postcode to check if your area is prescribing.
Your country is prescribing gluten free foods*. Request your Glutafin Taster Box by clicking the button below to sign up.
* Please note: local policies are constantly updated, and issuing a prescription is at the discretion of your GP.
Coeliac disease is one of the most common gut-related conditions, affecting around one in a hundred people in the UK. But is this the same across the rest of the world? Does it vary between men and women? And are more people being diagnosed with coeliac disease today than have done in the past?
Let’s take a closer look at the statistics for coeliac disease and some of the research that has been undertaken with regards to the prevalence of coeliac disease.
According to Coeliac UK, one in a hundred people in the UK are thought to have coeliac disease. This rises to around one in ten for people with a direct relative with the disease. Although this figure may be higher.
A US study by The Mayo Clinic found that 44% of screened relatives of diagnosed patients had coeliac disease, although these results have not been replicated elsewhere.
However, these figures do not truly represent the extent of coeliac disease. It’s estimated that only 36% of people in the UK have been formally diagnosed with coeliac disease, with as many as one in four mis-diagnosed with IBS.
However, diagnosis rates are improving, with a studies sponsored by Coeliac UK finding that diagnosis rates rose from 24% in 2011, to 30% in 2015 to the current rate of 36% in 2020. Elsewhere diagnosis rates are not as high. Diagnosis rates in the United States are thought to be as low as 17%, perhaps due to the high cost of medical care in the country.
Studies looking at the global prevalence of coeliac disease have found significant variation between countries. For example, Finland has the highest rate of diagnosed coeliac disease in the world at 1.9% of the population. Whilst Italy reports 1.6%, Africa just 0.5% and South America just 0.4%. This may be due to diet and genetic variation. But, it may also reflect the different levels of testing and general healthcare availability in these regions.
For reasons not fully understood, coeliac disease is known to affect more women than men, in a ratio of 2:1. Interestingly, rates of diagnosis amongst UK children are growing more rapidly than amongst any other age group. This is likely to reflect better awareness amongst healthcare professionals and parents, leading to increased diagnosis rates. Diagnosis figures from the rest of Europe suggest that the average age of childhood diagnosis has increased over the last 40 years, from 1.9 years (pre-1990) 7.6 years (post 2000).
Over the last ten years Glutafin has helped more than 50,000 patients who have been diagnosed with coeliac disease. Our free Taster Boxes support patients and help them to familiarise themselves with the gluten free diet. Taster boxes allow patients to sample our range of bread and flour mixes before setting up their gluten free prescription.
During 2020, we launched our symptom checker to help raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of coeliac disease and encourage patients to visit their doctor for a diagnosis. Since launching the symptom checker, over 15,000 people have completed the test.
If you or someone you love has been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease, you could be eligible to receive gluten free foods on prescription. Simply select your country of residence, and, if you live in England, fill in your postcode to check if your area is prescribing.
Your country is prescribing gluten free foods*. Request your Glutafin Taster Box by clicking the button below to sign up.
* Please note: local policies are constantly updated, and issuing a prescription is at the discretion of your GP.
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