If you or someone you love has been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease, you could be eligible to receive gluten free foods on prescription. Simply select your country of residence, and, if you live in England, fill in your postcode to check if your area is prescribing.
Your country is prescribing gluten free foods*. Request your Glutafin Taster Box by clicking the button below to sign up.
* Please note: local policies are constantly updated, and issuing a prescription is at the discretion of your GP.
Most people who have been diagnosed with coeliac disease will find that their symptoms start to improve within a few weeks of following a strict gluten free diet.
However, a small proportion of people will continue to experience symptoms of coeliac disease despite changing what they eat. Others may find that their symptoms initially improve with a gluten free diet, only to return later.
So why does this happen, and what should you do about it if you are following a strict gluten free diet, but your symptoms won’t go away?
If you have coeliac disease, then your immune system will react to gluten as if it is attacking the body. This is known as an auto-immune response. By removing gluten from the diet completely, you remove the trigger for this response and your immune system stops taking inappropriate action to defend itself.
In most cases, following a gluten free diet not only stops the auto-immune response, preventing symptoms, but also allows the gut to recover from the damage caused by that response in the past. As long as you stick to a strict gluten free diet, your symptoms should gradually ease and they will not return unless you accidentally ingest gluten again.
There are several reasons why your symptoms of coeliac disease may persist, even if you feel that you are sticking to a strict gluten free diet. You should always discuss such symptoms with your GP so that they can investigate further. Persistent symptoms of coeliac disease can be caused by:
If you’re following a strict gluten free diet, but your symptoms are not responding, then you should speak to your GP. They will work with you to eliminate the most likely causes, such as accidental ingestion of gluten or additional/ alternative diagnoses.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. The main function of gluten is to act as a binding agent, which gives baked goods their characteristic structure and texture. Gluten is found in many foods, for example:
Gluten is also present in many foods you might not expect, for example:
It’s always best to check food labels. For more information on which foods do and don’t contain gluten, along with foods to check, visit our food allergen section in living gluten free.
Some people with coeliac disease may also not be able to tolerate ingredients such as gluten free wheat starch or oats, we advise that you ask your gastroenterologist or dietitian if you can include them in your diet.
Read about the symptoms of coeliac disease
If you or someone you love has been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease, you could be eligible to receive gluten free foods on prescription. Simply select your country of residence, and, if you live in England, fill in your postcode to check if your area is prescribing.
Your country is prescribing gluten free foods*. Request your Glutafin Taster Box by clicking the button below to sign up.
* Please note: local policies are constantly updated, and issuing a prescription is at the discretion of your GP.
People with coeliac disease have specific genes, which means they may develop the condition when they eat gluten. However, coeliac disease can develop at any age and researchers are unsure why this is the case.
If you are experiencing symptoms and suspect you may have coeliac disease, the first step could be to take an online assessment- a short questionnaire asking about your symptoms and other risk factors. If the assessment indicates that you might have coeliac disease, the next step would be to make an appointment with your GP who can then undertake a blood test to check for coeliac antibodies.
If the result of your blood test is positive, your GP should refer you to the hospital for further tests in order to confirm a diagnosis of coeliac disease. It is important not to remove gluten from your diet during the diagnosis process.