The 7 key signs of coeliac disease as Rebecca Adlington reveals life-changing diagnosis

FEELING worn out, rushing to the toilet and being a bit gassy – they're all things many of us brush aside every week.

But they can be signs of coeliac disease – an autoimmune condition that affects one in 100 people in the UK.

BBC presenter and retired Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington revealed this week she had been diagnosed.

The 36-year-old urged her followers to sign a petition for gluten free prescriptions, which many people with coeliac disease rely on.

That's because a strict gluten free diet – one without wheat, rye and barley – is the only known way to control symptoms and prevent long-term complications.

And this way of eating can be expensive, so some patients get bread, flour and other products through the NHS – though prescriptions are increasingly being cut.

Despite being food-related, coeliac disease is not an allergy or intolerance; it's an autoimmune condition caused by a reaction to gluten.

When eaten, the immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues, which damages the gut so the body can't properly take in nutrients.

The NHS says this can cause a range of gut symptoms, including:

1. Diarrhoea (which may smell particularly unpleasant)
2. Stomach aches or cramps
3. Bloating
4. Farting
5. Indigestion
6. Constipation
7. Vomiting

But symptoms can also be more general. According to Coeliac UK, some people experience:

• Tiredness (as a result of malnutrition)
• Unintentional weight loss
• An itchy rash
• Infertility
• Nerve damage
• Co-ordination, balance and speech problems
• Mouth ulcers
• Tooth enamel problems
• Liver abnormalities
• Repeated miscarriages
• Anaemia
• Any combination of iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid deficiency

Children with coeliac disease may not grow at the expected rate and may have delayed puberty.

Because symptoms are vague, they are often dismissed as minor inconveniences.

And even when presented to doctors, one in four people are misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, according to Coeliac UK.

The average length of time taken for an adult to be diagnosed with from the onset of symptoms is a staggering 13 years.

It means the average age to discover you have the condition is 40 to 60.

A charity spokesperson said: “Some symptoms of coeliac disease may be mistaken as irritable bowel syndrome or wheat intolerance.

“The symptoms can also be put down to stress or getting older.

“It can take some time before an accuratediagnosisis made.”

Figures suggest only 36 per cent are currently clinically diagnosed, with 500,000 Brits unaware they have it.

NO CURE

There is no cure for coeliac disease; the only treatment is a strict gluten free diet for life.

If not followed, it can make sufferers unwell within a few hours, and this can last several days.

It can also lead to nutritional deficiencies, osteoporosis, fertility problems and a rare type of cancer of the small bowel.

Some foods obviously contain gluten, like wheat flour, bread, pasta, cereals, cakes and biscuits.

But it's also found in gravies, sauces, stock cubes, soy sauce and even some chocolate.

Some people are also sensitive to oats.

People with coeliac disease need to be so careful, their food must be prepared separately to avoid cross-contamination.

Coeliac UK says: “Sources of contamination include breadcrumbs in toasters and on bread boards, utensils used for spreading and spooning jam, butter, and chutney onto bread, and from cooking oil and water.”

If a strict gluten free diet is followed, symptoms should usually start to clear up within a few weeks.

The amount of time the gut takes to heal varies between people, and can take between six months and up to five years.

The health risks associated with coeliac disease are minimised as long as a gluten free diet is adhered to for life, experts say.

Coeliac disease is a genetic condition and runs in families.

Studies show that if someone in a family has the condition, there is a one in 10 chance of a close relative developing the disease.

I was tired all the time for more than a decade

IT took almost ten years for Ben Cirne, 30, to finally understand why he was so tired all the time.

Aged 16, he noticed he always felt completely exhausted – far more so than his friends – but put it down to his busy life as a student athlete, which revolved around playing football, basketball and rugby.

“I’d been very active and sporty but I’d become the butt of the jokes because I’d always be napping,”; the dad-of-two said.

“On a 20-minute car journey I’d need a sleep and I was constantly falling asleep on the sofa.

“For a teenager to be that fatigued wasn’t normal, but I didn’t think too much of it because I was always busy doing something active.

“My family were saying I shouldn’t be that tired, but I didn’t listen.”;

Ben, from Ipswich, Suffolk, continued like this for years.

As he got older, he assumed work stress was the cause of his continued tiredness, but it was becoming a dad that made him realise there was something else going on.

He said: “Everyone says you’re tired as a parent but mine was just different, it wasn’t right.

“I had stomach cramps and pains after every meal and the symptoms just got stronger.

“I couldn’t play with my own kids in the park like other dads could and it was heartbreaking.

“I realised it was nearly ten years I’d been feeling this way and I was so sick of it so I finally went to the doctor to get it investigated.”;

After several tests, Ben, who works as a football analyst for Wycombe Wanderers, was told he had coeliac disease in September 2022.

“I had to ask the doctor to spell it for me,”; he said. “I’d never heard of it before.”;

Since diagnosis, Ben has been strictly gluten free and his symptoms have improved significantly.

He now has enough energy to play with his kids and feels “normal”; for the first time in years.

“I feel 100 times better. The tiredness and fatigue have pretty much gone now,”; he said.

“I’m back to being fresh – as much as a parent to a seven-month-old and a three-year-old can be.

“The difference between me then and me now is quite frightening. I’m a different person.”;