Learn more about symptoms and testing for celiac disease.
Understanding Celiac Disease >
Learn more about symptoms and testing for celiac disease.
Understanding Celiac Disease >
Celiac disease is a common, burdensome autoimmune disease caused by the ingestion of gluten, and can develop at any age.1
On average, patients wait 10 to 13 years from onset of symptoms before receiving a correct diagnosis of celiac disease,2,3 with about 75 percent of those who have the condition not yet formally diagnosed.1,4
Undiagnosed celiac disease patients often have substantially reduced quality of life,2 and may suffer from a wide range of debilitating symptoms.1
Celiac disease is treatable. When left untreated, it’s associated with increased morbidity and mortality.1
Early diagnosis and management of celiac disease with a gluten-free diet implemented in coordination with a dietitian, could:
The recommended first-line test for celiac disease, according to international guidelines (including NICE, ESPGHAN, and ESsCD) is tissue transglutaminase (tTG) IgA together with total IgA to check for IgA deficiency. For the tTG IgA blood test to be accurate, the patient must be consuming gluten every day for at least 6 weeks prior to testing.10-12
Coeliac serology tests may be requested through your local pathology lab who can advise if a specific algorithm needs to be followed based on the result and the age of the patient.
ESPGHAN: European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition; ESsCD: European Society for the Study of Celiac Disease
1. Gujral N, Freeman H J, Thomson A B. Celiac disease: prevalence, diagnosis, pathogenesis and treatment. World J Gastroenterol 2012;18(42):6036-6059
2. Gray A M, Papanicolas I N. Impact of symptoms on quality of life before and after diagnosis of coeliac disease: results from a UK population survey. BMC Health Serv Res 2010;10:105
3. Norström F, Lindholm L et al. Delay to celiac disease diagnosis and its implications for health-related quality of life. BMC Gastroenterology 2011;11(1):118
4. West J, Fleming K M et al. Incidence and prevalence of celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis in the UK over two decades: population-based study. Am J Gastroenterol 2014;109(5):757-768
5. Murch S, Jenkins H et al. Joint BSPGHAN and Coeliac UK guidelines for the diagnosis and management of coeliac disease in children. Arch Dis Child 2013;98(10):806-811
6. Scaramuzza A E, Mantegazza C et al. Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease: the effects of gluten free diet on metabolic control. World J Diabetes 2013;4(4):130-134
7. Grace-Farfaglia P. Bones of contention: bone mineral density recovery in celiac disease--a systematic review. Nutrients 2015;7(5):3347-3369
8. Ciacci C, Ciclitira P et al. The gluten-free diet and its current application in coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis. United European Gastroenterol J 2015;3(2):121-135
9. Annibale B, Severi C et al. Efficacy of gluten-free diet alone on recovery from iron deficiency anemia in adult celiac patients. Am J Gastroenterol 2001;96(1):132-137
10. Al-Toma A, Volta U et al. European Society for the Study of Coeliac Disease (ESsCD) guideline for coeliac disease and other gluten-related disorders. United European Gastroenterol J 2019;7(5):583-613
11. Husby S, Koletzko S et al. European Society Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Guidelines for diagnosing coeliac disease 2020. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2020;70(1):141-156