Should All Hospital In-Patients Be Tested For Coeliac Disease?
I went to a medical lecture tonight and I came home on the tube with a cardiologist. As we chatted, the title of this post occurred to me.
Consider.
- A diagnosed coeliac on a gluten-free diet tends to have a stronger immune system.
- I am a diagnosed coeliac on a gluten-free diet.
- An undiagnosed coeliac tends to have a poor immune system.
- It would certainly mean, you got the right diet in hospital.
I also have some further more detailed thoughts.
My Son, George
NHS advice on those, who need to be tested for coeliac disease includes this sentence.
Testing is also recommended if you have a first-degree relative (parent, sibling or child) with coeliac disease.
When I was diagnosed as a coeliac in 1997, I told my three sons to get tested. None did!
A month or so before he did, George ended up in Trafford Park Hospital.
If they had tested him, would they have picked up his pancreatic cancer earlier?
Probably not, but it’s a question that must be asked.
Research From The University Of Padua
This paper on the US National Library of Medicine, which is from the University of Padua in Italy.
The University followed a group of 138 patients with coeliac disease, who had been on a gluten-free diet for at least six years, through the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Padua.
This sentence, sums up the study.
In this analysis we report a real life “snapshot” of a cohort of CeD patients during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Italy, all followed in one tertiary centre in a red area of Northern Italy. Our data show, in accordance with Emmi et al., the absolute absence of COVID-19 diagnosis in our population, although 18 subjects experienced flu-like symptoms with only one having undergone naso-pharyngeal swab.
It says that no test subject caught Covid-19, in an admittedly smallish number of patients.ost
But it reinforces my call for more research into whether if you are a diagnosed coeliac on a long-term gluten-free diet, you have an immune system, that gives you a degree of protection from the Covids.
Conditions Linked To Coeliac Disease
This page on the Coeliac UK web site is entitled Conditions Linked To Coeliac Disease, has the following subsections.
- Autoimmune Disease
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Autoimmune Thyroid Disease
- Down’s and Turner Syndrome
- Osteoporosis
- Lactose Intolerance
- Lymphoma And Small Bowel Cancer
- Autism
- Fertility
Some of the keywords are linked to other pages on the Coeliac UK web site.
Testing For Coeliac Disease
Testing for coeliac disease is not an expensive process and just involves a simple blood test, where the blood goes to the lab.
My now-retired GP reckoned in nearly all cases, the test is decisive.
The Anonymous Widower 
Hi James
This is VERY interesting to me.
My coeliac diagnosis consists of me going to see GP – but it was a locum – because of constant stomach problems. She asked if I ate bread, pasta, biscuits etc, and when I said yes, she told me I probably was coeliac and should cut them completely from my diet. So I did.
Years later- 15 or so – I had a colonoscopy and they told me that there was no sign of coeliac – that wasnt what they were looking for. But after 15 years GF there wouldnt be much likelihood of there being.
I have weak immune system because I have lymphoma. But is there a link between undiagnosed coeliac disease for the first 49 years of my life and my lymphoma. I am VERY lucky to live very near to Christie in Manchester who are dealing with my Lymphoma; I live a 12 minute drive away from there. When I was there on Wednesday I was chatting with people, some of whom had a 3 hour drive to get there. And my consultant is one of big names in treatment of Lymphoma.
I will mention this to him when I see him next week
Thanks again
Liz P
Comment by nosnikrapzil | May 24, 2024 |
It was a very elderly locum, who spotted that I might have coeliac disease. All he did was take blood and found I had no B12.
B12 injections were then prescribed and they had no effect.
I was then sent to Addenbrooke’s and the appointment was on a Monday. A consultant said hello, looked me up and down and said we’ll take some blood, which was skillfully done by a nurse.
On Wednesday morning, I got a letter saying I was probably coeliac and it would be confirmed by endoscopy.
Two endoscopies were done on a production line basis without sedative, so the hospital didn’t need recovery beds and patients could drive home.
Last year, I had my gallstones out by endoscopy. The surgeon had a look at my small intestine and said it was in order.
Comment by AnonW | May 24, 2024 |