Coeliac disease is one of the most common hereditary autoimmune diseases  

Pronounced ’seel-ee’ak’, coeliac disease is caused by a total and lifelong intolerance to gluten which is found in wheat, barley, oats and rye.

When people have coeliac disease, their bodies mistakenly produce an immune response to dietary gluten which in turn damages the lining of the small bowel. 

In people with untreated coeliac disease, the ‘villi’, which are tiny, finger like projections in the bowel which absorb nutrients from the food we eat, become inflamed and flattened.  Imagine a shag pile carpet versus a threadbare carpet and you have a good idea of what happens to the villi in a person with untreated coeliac disease.

Because they are damaged in this way, the villi are unable to properly perform their function of absorbing the nutrients we all need for healthy growth and bodily function.

Untreated coeliacs become ’starved’ and as a result, their bodies can’t function properly.  Symptoms are varied and range from mild to severe to clinically silent. 

In more scientific terms, coeliac disease is caused by a bodily reaction to gliadin which is a gluten protein (prolamin). The enzyme tissue transglutaminase modifies the gluten protein and the immune system responds causing an inflammation of the small intestine which leads to a flattening of the villi.  This is called villous atrophy.

 The correct diagnosis of coeliac disease can only be undertaken by a medical doctor.