Why is a medical diagnosis important?

Confirmation of a diagnosis of coeliac disease is important for many reasons.

Firstly, the symptoms of coeliac disease can be similar to other medical conditions, so it's essential to ensure that it is indeed coeliac disease that is the cause of those symptoms and not another medical problem.

It's also important that people with coeliac disease get the necessary medical review and ongoing support from their healthcare team because there are serious problems associated with coeliac disease such as osteoporosis, bowel cancer and increased risk of other autoimmune diseases.

A life-long gluten-free diet is a major undertaking, and can put considerable constraint on food choice and variety. People with coeliac disease therefore need specific advice, support and monitoring from their healthcare team to ensure not only that the diet is gluten-free, but also provides enough nutrients to promote long term health. Children's growth and development should also be monitored.

People medically diagnosed with coeliac disease are able to receive prescriptions for gluten-free substitute products from their GP, which can not only help in maintaining the diet, but can help supplement the cost of these products.

In addition to these factors, awareness of a medical diagnosis of coeliac disease within a family can potentially help identify the disease should a relative also have, or go on to develop, symptoms at a later date.