Post by kickingfrog on May 26, 2015 17:23:08 GMT
Someone with a unique perspective on coeliac disease is the TV doctor Chris Steele from ITV1's This Morning.
Dr. Chris Steele
As a GP, he's seen many patients coming to his surgery with symptoms of coeliac disease, but then was diagnosed with the condition himself. He's has been Coeliac UK's Ambassador for the past three years.
"I've always felt quite strongly about coeliac disease," he tells us. "It's grossly under diagnosed. It can mimic so many other conditions.
"They reckon about one in 100 people have got coeliac disease, but only about 10-15% are actually diagnosed.
"You've got something like 85-90% of people with coeliac disease walking around with it out there and they don't know they've got it."
The 65 year old found out he had the condition after visiting his own GP with diarrhoea and abdominal discomfort. "The diarrhoea became so bad, urgency to go and accidents - just horrendous."
He was taking as many as eight over-the-counter anti-diarrhoea tablets a day.
With his symptoms, "the first thing that came to mind was bowel cancer". He says people are often surprised that doctors go to see other doctors: "Someone objective has got to keep an eye on you."
He was referred to a specialist, who thought it may have been IBS and treated him for that condition.
There's no test for IBS. His symptoms didn't go away, so he was given a blood test for coeliac disease, which was then confirmed with a biopsy. "You swallow this fine tube with a tiny camera on the end. That goes past the stomach into the small intestine." The biopsy results confirmed it was coeliac.
"The treatment then is very simple. You just go onto a gluten free diet. You're on that for the rest of your life."
www.webmd.boots.com/digestive-disorders/news/20110515/tv-doctor-on-living-life-gluten-free
Dr. Chris Steele
As a GP, he's seen many patients coming to his surgery with symptoms of coeliac disease, but then was diagnosed with the condition himself. He's has been Coeliac UK's Ambassador for the past three years.
"I've always felt quite strongly about coeliac disease," he tells us. "It's grossly under diagnosed. It can mimic so many other conditions.
"They reckon about one in 100 people have got coeliac disease, but only about 10-15% are actually diagnosed.
"You've got something like 85-90% of people with coeliac disease walking around with it out there and they don't know they've got it."
The 65 year old found out he had the condition after visiting his own GP with diarrhoea and abdominal discomfort. "The diarrhoea became so bad, urgency to go and accidents - just horrendous."
He was taking as many as eight over-the-counter anti-diarrhoea tablets a day.
With his symptoms, "the first thing that came to mind was bowel cancer". He says people are often surprised that doctors go to see other doctors: "Someone objective has got to keep an eye on you."
He was referred to a specialist, who thought it may have been IBS and treated him for that condition.
There's no test for IBS. His symptoms didn't go away, so he was given a blood test for coeliac disease, which was then confirmed with a biopsy. "You swallow this fine tube with a tiny camera on the end. That goes past the stomach into the small intestine." The biopsy results confirmed it was coeliac.
"The treatment then is very simple. You just go onto a gluten free diet. You're on that for the rest of your life."
www.webmd.boots.com/digestive-disorders/news/20110515/tv-doctor-on-living-life-gluten-free