Coeliac condition is an intolerance of gluten. People with this condition are therefore unable to eat foods which contain gluten.

Gluten is a protein present in a certain number of cereals: wheat, rye, oats and barley. Foods containing these cereals or their derivatives, such as flour, starch, bread, pasta, biscuits and cakes, all contain gluten. Gluten may also be present in less obvious foods.

If people with coeliac condition ingest foods containing gluten, they will inevitably cause themselves serious harm, primarily to the intestine and secondarily to other organs.

The walls of the intestine are lined with minute fingerlike projections called villi. Intestinal villi absorb nutrients from ingested food. When a person with coeliac condition ingests gluten, his/her villi flatten out and no longer perform their function. Nutrients in food are thus no longer assimilated and are passed out of the body in the faeces.

Those with coeliac condition who ingest gluten effectively put their intestine out of service; their bodies no longer receive the necessary nutrition and consequently they lose weight, their growth is stunted and they become ill. The most noticeable symptoms being diarrhoea, abdominal swelling, loss of appetite and vomiting. However, sufferers may also develop other less immediatley apparent symptoms, such as iron and calcium deficiency.

When a patient’s symptoms suggest that he/she might be suffering from coeliac condition, specific tests must be carried out, including blood tests and an analysis of intestinal tissue