Coeliac disease: Research identifies patients to test

Targeted testing of people with a range of symptoms could improve diagnosis of coeliac disease, a study has found.

Around one in 100 people in the UK have coeliac disease, where a person’s immune response to gluten attacks the tissues in their digestive system. Researchers at the University of Bristol analysed 191 studies, reporting on 26 potential signs, symptoms and risk factors.

The research could “streamline” getting a diagnosis. Only one in three people with coeliac disease are thought to have been diagnosed. Although guidelines recommend adults and children “at high risk” of coeliac disease should be offered testing, it has not been clear until now which groups are at high enough risk, or which symptoms should justify routine testing.
Source : BBC