Most people in UK have undiagnosed coeliac disease

Half-a-million people in the UK have undiagnosed coeliac disease, in which the body's immune system reacts to gluten foods such as bread and pasta.

It attacks the finger-like projections in the small intestine called villi, which are important for digestion, so the body can't absorb essential nutrients. Patients are at increased risk for anaemia and osteoporosis and left undiagnosed it can lead to bowel cancer.

'Coeliac disease is often the last thing doctors think of,' says Dr David Sanders, consultant gastroenterologist and adviser to Coeliac UK. 'Historically, we thought it was an uncommon disease that mostly affected children. But in the last ten years we've proven it affects one in 100 people.'

SYMPTOMS: Tiredness, unexplained weight loss (or gain), abdominal pain, diarrhoea, tummy pain, bloating or heartburn after eating. Some patients experience recurring mouth ulcers or dermatitis herpetiformis (small, blister-like lumps developing on the arms).

MISDIAGNOSIS: Anaemia or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Studies show 5per cent of patients given a diagnosis of IBS actually had undiagnosed Coeliac Disease. 'A common symptom is anaemia, but the diagnosis is often left at that and patients are simply told to eat more iron,' says Dr Sanders.

GET TESTED: A blood test can determine if you have antibodies called TTG and EMA, the antibodies the body makes in response to eating gluten.

source: dailymail.co.uk