Coeliac disease test

Coeliac disease (often spelt the American English way, ‘celiac disease’) is a serious disease of your small intestine. It can occur at any age and is thought to be underdiagnosed. When you have coeliac disease, eating gluten appears to trigger an immune reaction to the lining of your small intestine. This causes inflammation and over time damage to the lining, so that your body is not able to absorb vital ingredients. We offer a coeliac disease blood test that looks at levels of certain antibodies in your blood. These antibodies are produced by the immune system because it views gluten (the proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley) as a threat. You must be on a gluten-containing diet for antibody (blood) testing to be accurate. Because you're unable to absorb nutrients you may experience symptoms such as anaemia, diarrhoea, bloating and fatigue. Over a longer period of time it can lead to more serious complications, such as small intestinal lymphoma (a cancer of the lymph gland in your small intestine).