Being diagnosed with coeliac disease can be life-changing, but don’t worry, because you’re not alone. As many as one in a hundred people in the UK have been diagnosed with coeliac disease and so you can rest assured that there are established systems in place to help you manage your condition. This help not only covers your initial diagnosis, but also supports you in the longer term as you adapt to life on a gluten free diet.

It should be noted that provision varies across the country, and you may not have access to all of the services detailed below in your local area.

Your coeliac care team

There are several stages to getting diagnosed with coeliac disease, each involving different medical professionals:

1. Your GP – your first point of contact will be your GP, who will be able to assess your symptoms and arrange blood tests if they suspect that you have coeliac disease. If these tests indicate that you may have the condition, you will be referred to a specialist at your local hospital. 
2. Your gastroenterologist – coeliac disease is a digestive condition, and as such you will be dealt with by the gastroenterology team, led by a consultant gastroenterologist. They will arrange further tests, such as a biopsy of the small intestine, to confirm the diagnosis.
3. Your dietitian – once you have been diagnosed with coeliac disease, you will be referred to a dietitian, either at the hospital or at your local GP practice. The only treatment for coeliac disease is to follow a strict gluten free diet, and your dietitian will explain what this means, and help you to make the necessary changes to what you eat.
4. Your pharmacist – finally, you’ll return to your GP to discuss your requirements from your gluten free prescription, which will be dispensed by your local pharmacist. The provision of gluten free food on prescription varies widely across the UK, and your GP will explain what you are entitled to in your area. 

Your annual review

NICE guidelines recommend that patients who have been diagnosed with coeliac disease should be reviewed annually. This review includes blood tests to monitor your nutritional status and your general health. These are done three to four weeks before your review appointment. This review will usually be conducted by your consultant gastroenterologist, or by one of their team, at your local hospital.

In some areas, your annual review will be conducted by your gastroenterology dietitian who will review your blood results and discuss your gluten free diet with you. They will refer you back to your gastroenterologist if they have any concerns.

Support groups

Alongside your team of medical professionals, you can also find a lot of support and information online and in local coeliac disease support groups. 

Coeliac UK is a great source of information, whether you’ve been diagnosed with coeliac disease yourself, or you’re caring for someone else who has. Coeliac UK covers everything from research to advocacy in Parliament, fundraising to gluten free restaurant guides

Coeliac UK coordinate local and regional coeliac support groups and also offer a Member2Member support service. This puts newly diagnosed people in touch with people who have been diagnosed with coeliac disease for some time, so they can pass on their advice and experience.

Above all, you can count on Glutafin to be behind you every step of the way. You’ll find our website is packed with handy information and tasty gluten free recipes, and you can follow Glutafin on social media via Facebook and Instagram. You’ll also find lots of helpful ideas, education and information right here in our regular monthly blogs. If there’s anything we haven’t covered, that you’d like to know more about, just drop us a line and we’ll try to include it in a future blog.

Share this now: