Thousands Of Children Suffering From Undiagnosed Food Intolerance

Thousands of children in Scotland are suffering the consequences of an undiagnosed food intolerance, experts said yesterday. Coeliac disease – caused by sensitivity to gluten in foods made from wheat, rye and barley – can lead to brittle bones, infertility and bowel cancer if left untreated.

Yet it is estimated 87.5 per cent of people with coeliac disease are undiagnosed. In Scotland, an expert in treating coeliac disease in children said he expected thousands were suffering the condition, many waiting months or years before being diagnosed.

Peter Gillett, a paediatric gastroenterologist at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, said many doctors were not carrying out the simple test needed to detect coeliac disease.

Coeliac UK said in the worst cases adults were waiting an average of 13 years for a diagnosis. The charity said their research involving almost 800 patients found that some reported visiting their GP up to 28 times before being diagnosed.

Others had to insist on being given a blood test which is the first step to diagnosis. Coeliac disease then has to be confirmed with a biopsy taken from the intestine.