However, it is very important that you do not cut gluten out of your or your child’s diet before a positive diagnosis has been made. Doing so could mean that the results of any tests you have may not be accurate. You should continue to eat your normal diet, including any foods that contain gluten, such as bread and pasta. If you have already stopped eating gluten, you will need to start eating it again for at least six weeks before a diagnosis of coeliac disease can be confirmed.

In order to be diagnosed with coeliac disease, you will need to have two tests – a blood test and a gut biopsy.

Blood test

Your doctor will take a sample of your blood and test it for certain antibodies that are usually present in the bloodstream of people with coeliac disease. However, it is possible to have coeliac disease and not have these antibodies in your blood. If coeliac disease antibodies are found in your blood, your doctor will refer you for a biopsy of your gut. The symptoms of coeliac disease can appear to be similar to those of other digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and Crohn’s disease (a disease of the small intestine). For this reason, you will not usually be referred for a gut biopsy unless you have coeliac disease antibodies in your blood.

Gut biopsy

A gut biopsy is carried out in hospital, usually by a gastroenterologist (a specialist in conditions of the stomach and intestines). It can confirm a diagnosis of coeliac disease. If you need to have a gut biopsy, a thin flexible tube with a light and a tiny cutting tool on the end (an endoscope) will be inserted into your mouth and gently fed down to your small intestine. Before the procedure, you will be given a local anaesthetic and a sedative to numb your throat and to help relax you.

The gastroenterologist will use the endoscope to cut away a small tissue sample from your small intestine. This sample will later be examined for signs of coeliac disease

Tests after diagnosis

If you are diagnosed with coeliac disease, you may also have a number of other tests to assess how the condition has so far affected you. You may have further blood tests to check the levels of iron and other vitamins and minerals in your bloodstream. This will show whether or not coeliac disease has caused you to develop anaemia (a condition where there is a lack of iron in the blood) due to poor digestion.

If you appear to have dermatitis herpetiformis (an itchy rash also caused by gluten intolerance), you may have a skin biopsy in order to confirm it. This is carried out in a similar way to a gut biopsy – a small sample of skin is taken from an area unaffected by the rash so that it can be examined.

In some cases, you may also need to have a DEXA scan, which is a type of X-ray that measures your bone density. This may be necessary if your doctor thinks that your condition may have started to damage your bones, which can result in osteoporosis (weak and brittle bones). In coeliac disease, a lack of nutrients caused by poor digestioncan make your bones become weaker and less dense.

Treating coeliac disease

Simply excluding any foods that contain gluten from your diet is usually how coeliac disease is treated. This prevents the damage to the lining of your intestines (gut) that is caused by gluten, and the associated symptoms, such as diarrhoea and stomach pain. If you have coeliac disease, you must give up all sources of gluten for life because eating foods that contain it will cause your symptoms to return. This can be a daunting prospect, but your doctor will be able to provide you with help and advice about ways that you can manage your diet.

Your symptoms should improve considerably within weeks of starting a gluten-free diet. However, it may take up to two years for your digestive system to heal completely. You will also need to return to your doctor for check-ups on a regular basis.

A gluten-free diet

When you are first diagnosed with coeliac disease, you will be referred to a dietitian who will be able to help you adjust to your new diet without gluten. They can also ensure that your diet is balanced and contains all the nutrients that you need, including essential vitamins and minerals. If you have coeliac disease, you will no longer be able to eat any foods that contain wheat (farina, graham flour, semolina and durum), barley or rye.

However, gluten as a protein is not essential to your diet and can be replaced by other foods. There are many gluten-free alternatives that are widely available in supermarkets and health food shops, including pasta, pizza bases and bread. You may be able to get these gluten-free foods on prescription. There are also many basic foods that are naturally free from gluten that you can still include in your diet, such as meat, vegetables, cheese and rice. Your dietitian will be able to help you identify which foods are safe to eat and which are not. However, if you are unsure, lists below provide a general guide.

Foods to avoid (containing gluten):

Unless they are labelled as gluten-free, you should not eat bread, pasta, cereals, biscuits or crackers, cakes and pastries, pies, gravies and sauces, or oats (some people with coeliac disease may be able to eat oats, but it is best to avoid them because they can be contaminated with wheat).

It is important that you check the labels of any foods that you buy. Many foods, particularly those that are processed, contain gluten in food additives, such as malt flavouring and modified food starch. Gluten may also be found in some non-food items, including lipstick, postage stamps and some types of medication.

You should also be aware that cross-contamination can occur if gluten-free foods and foods containing gluten are prepared together, or served with the same utensils.

Foods to include (gluten-free):

If you have coeliac disease, you may eat the following gluten-free foods most dairy products, such as cheese, butter and milk, fruit, vegetables, meat and fish (although not breaded or marinated), potatoes, rice, and gluten-free flours, including rice, corn, soy and potato.

Other treatments for coeliac disease

Immunisations:
If you have coeliac disease, it can cause your spleen to work less effectively, making you more vulnerable to infection from certain germs. Therefore, you may need to have several immunisations including the flu (influenza) jab, the HIB vaccine – which protects against blood poisoning, pneumonia and HIB meningitis, and the pneumococcal vaccine – which protects against infections caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Supplements:
As well as cutting gluten out of your diet, your doctor or dietitian may also recommend that you take vitamin and mineral supplements at least for the first six months after your diagnosis. This will ensure that you get all of the nutrients that you need while your digestive system is repairing itself. Taking supplements can also help to correct any deficiencies, such as anaemia, which is a condition that is caused by a lack of iron in the blood.

Treatment for dermatitis herpetiformis

If you have dermatitis herpetiformis (an itchy rash that is sometimes caused by gluten intolerance), cutting gluten out of your diet may be enough to clear it. However, it can take longer for a gluten-free diet to clear the rash than it does to control your other symptoms, such as diarrhoea and stomach pain. If this is the case, you may be prescribed medication to speed up the healing time of the rash. It is likely that this will be a medicine called dapsone, which is usually taken in tablet form, twice a day. As sapsone can cause side effects, such as headaches and depression, you will always be prescribed the lowest effective dose.

You may need to take medication for up to two years in order to control your dermatitis herpetiformis. After this time, you should have been following a gluten-free diet long enough to control the rash without the need for medication.

Related Articles:

1. Glu­ten intol­er­ance — Coeliac dis­ease
2. Crohn’s dis­ease
3. Inflam­ma­tion of the gall­blad­der — Acute cholecyst­itis
4. Rem­ed­ies for treat­ing the symp­toms of heart­burn
5. How to tell if you have indi­ges­tion prob­lem
6. Diarrhoea
7. Con­stip­a­tion
8. Appen­di­citis — the treat­ment, com­plic­a­tions and pre­ven­tion
9. Appen­di­citis – the causes and symp­toms
10. Ileostomy

You have permission to reprint what you just read. The only requirement is including the following footer with it… ”Article by allvitalpoints.com, visit http://www.allvitalpoints.com for more original content like this. Reprint permission granted with this footer included.”

Related posts:

1. Gluten intolerance – Coeliac disease
2. Diagnosing Crohn’s disease
3. Diagnosing and treating obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
4. Diagnosing and treating constipation
5. Treating Crohn’s disease
6. The complications and living with Crohn’s disease
7. Diagnosing and treating bronchiolitis
8. Diagnosing Irritable Bowel Syndrome: IBS