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.
Some people react badly to eating gluten, but test negative for coeliac disease. This is known as having gluten intolerance, sometimes referred to as gluten sensitivity. The two conditions share many symptoms, however there are important differences between them.
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition which damages the lining of the gut, causing a wide range of symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. It can also lead to more serious problems in the longer term if it goes untreated.
Gluten sensitivity is not an autoimmune reaction, medical understanding of the condition is still developing, however it’s likely that the immune system is still involved in producing symptoms in some way. Gluten sensitivity does not damage the gut, but does cause similar symptoms to coeliac disease, along with a range of extra-intestinal, or non-gut symptoms.
Dr Sami, from the Mayo Clinic in London, says that gluten sensitivity is more like a sensitivity to dairy. There is no cell damage or inflammation, but patients may feel like ‘gluten doesn’t agree with me’.
Although gluten sensitivity shares many gastrointestinal symptoms with coeliac disease, it can also cause a range of other symptoms. These include headaches, ‘brain fog’, joint pain, neuropathy, fatigue and depression. If someone has tested negative for coeliac disease and display these symptoms alongside gastrointestinal symptoms, it is a sign that they may have gluten sensitivity.
There is no test for gluten sensitivity, and it is often identified by a process of elimination. If someone tests negative for coeliac disease and do not have a wheat allergy, but theirsymptoms improve when they start to follow a gluten free diet, then they may be diagnosed with gluten sensitivity.
As with coeliac disease, there is no drug treatment for gluten sensitivity, and no cure. The only available treatment is to follow a gluten free diet. The difference between the two conditions is that while coeliac disease requires a strict gluten free diet and even the smallest amounts of gluten can trigger symptoms, gluten sensitivity covers a range of tolerance.
Some people with gluten sensitivity may see symptoms improve by reducing their gluten intake, while others may need to follow a strict gluten free diet.
As Coeliac UK discusses, there is some debate in the scientific community as to whether gluten is in fact the cause of gluten sensitivity symptoms. It may be that other components of wheat, known as fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols, or FODMAPS, may be to blame. However, it is hard to tell, since these are often absent when people eat a gluten free diet.
If a person thinks that they have have gluten sensitivity, they should talk to their doctor. It is important for them to rule out other, more serious causes of their symptoms, such as coeliac disease. They shouldnot start to follow a gluten free diet before they see their doctor and get tested for coeliac disease, as this can lead to a false negative result.
The doctor may also arrange for them to be tested for wheat allergy, which also shares some of the symptoms of gluten sensitivity and coeliac disease.
As discussed above, different people with gluten sensitivity will have different tolerance levels. It will be a case of trial and error for a person to establish how much gluten they can take without experiencing symptoms and whether they need to follow a strict gluten free diet.
The good news is that once coeliac disease has been ruled out, someone with gluten sensitivity can safely try different levels of gluten without worrying about causing damage to their intestines. They should ask their GP to refer them to a dietitian to help them establish a balanced diet with the right levels of gluten for their condition.
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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