17: Coeliac Disease: explained by a gastroenterologist!

What is Coeliac disease? Does it run in families? Is it on the rise? How does it affect children physically and emotionally? Is there a cure? Meet Dr Ajay Sharma, a paediatric gastroenterologist who has trained across the world and has all the latest updates on this condition.

Coeliac disease is important because it can mimic other conditions. Vague symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, less appetite, or even tiredness and irritability can relate to Coeliac disease. Therefore it is important to consider a variety of presentations to the GP. Coeliac affects about 1 in 70 Australians. It is an auto-immune condition, meaning the body attacks itself, in the case of coeliac this occurs when exposure to gluten takes place. Eating gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats) causes damage to the small intestine, in particular, the villi which are the finger-like structures that line the bowel to help absorption. It is hard for children to deal with because gluten is often contained in enjoyable foods including bread, cakes, biscuits, cereals, pizza bases, pasta and pastries. Thankfully with more knowledge and support of supermarkets and restaurants, Coeliac is becoming a bit easier to deal with.

Be sure to check out Coeliac Australia-https://www.coeliac.org.au/which is one of the resources discussed in this week's podcast