Coeliac disease is a common autoimmune condition where the immune system in a person’s intestine reacts when they eat gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. When a person with coeliac disease eats gluten, their immune system attacks their own tissues, damaging their gut (small intestine) and preventing their body from properly taking in nutrients. Coeliac disease can cause a range of symptoms, including diarrhoea, abdominal pain, bloating, weight loss, and fatigue. Other symptoms can include anemia, loss of bone density, itchy skin rash, mouth ulcers, headaches, and neurological conditions. Children with coeliac disease may not grow at the expected rate and may have delayed puberty.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition, where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. The exact cause of coeliac disease is not known, but it is believed to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Coeliac disease is more common in people with certain conditions, such as type 1 diabetes, Down’s syndrome, or autoimmune thyroid disease, and in close family members of people with coeliac disease.

The only treatment for confirmed coeliac disease is a lifelong gluten-free diet. People with coeliac disease must avoid foods with wheat, rye, and barley, such as bread, pasta, cakes, breakfast cereals, and most types of beer. Ingesting small amounts of gluten, like crumbs from a cutting board or toaster, can trigger small intestine damage. Complications of coeliac disease only tend to affect people who continue to eat gluten, or those who have not yet been diagnosed with the condition. Potential long-term complications include weakening of the bones, iron deficiency, nervous system disorders, and intestinal cancers[[1]](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coeliac...