Athletic star Yvonne has a quest
Search for coeliac sufferers
Reporting: BRIAN YULE
FORMER international athlete Yvonne Murray is beginning a quest to find over 5,000 possible sufferers of coeliac disease in Lanarkshire.
Caused by intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, the autoimmune disease can cause severe malnutrition in children or even lead to bowel cancer in adults if left undiagnosed.
The Motherwell–based Olympic, World and European medal winner is teaming up with charity Coeliac UK to raise awareness of the condition, which is one of the most common autoimmune diseases in Europe, but one of the least known.
It is thought to affect one in every 100 people, that's 50,000 Scots, but according to the latest figures seven out of eight of those may be undiagnosed. In Lanarkshire that means that as many as 5,453 of the 623,283 residents may be coeliac without even knowing it.
Recognising the symptoms can be difficult. These range from headaches, bloating and tiredness to weight loss and joint pain.
Children can suffer from stunted growth and rapid weight loss.
Coeliac is a genetic disease and symptoms can appear at any time in life. The most common age of diagnosis is 40 to 50.
Crucially, if left untreated, it can lead to serious conditions like bowel cancer, osteoporosis and infertility.
Yvonne was shocked to find just how low awareness levels were when it took five months to diagnose her young daughter with coeliac disease.
During that time the then three-year-old child's weight dropped to just 20lbs.
Yvonne said: "Most people will visit their GP a number of times before they are offered a blood test to check for coeliac disease, and that really isn't good enough. I don't blame the doctors, but training and awareness needs to improve. If more healthcare professionals are aware of the symptoms, it could cut out months of heartache for families, and prevent thousands of people in Lanarkshire suffering health complications in later life."
Margaret Mann of the Clyde Valley coeliac support group, which covers Lanarkshire, will be working with Yvonne to raise awareness in the local area. Margaret said: "It's frightening to think that as many as 5,453 people in Lanarkshire suffer from coeliac disease and don't even realise it.
"But the great thing is that, after diagnosis, the condition can be treated very effectively by switching to a gluten–free diet, you just need to be able to recognise the symptoms first. That's why the local support group looks forward to working with Yvonne to raise awareness amongst local people and healthcare professionals." The campaign is attracting attention at the highest level, following an awareness raising event and debate at the Scottish Parliament.
Health Minister Andy Kerr spoke at the event and MSPs later debated a motion which calls for the Scottish Executive to carry out more work to educate the Scottish medical profession about coeliac disease in order to speed up diagnosis.
Margo MacDonald MSP, who has a relative with the condition, tabled the motion, which 41 MSPs have signed to date.
Anyone who thinks that they may be suffering from coeliac disease should visit their GP and ask for a blood test.
If the test is positive, the diagnosis will be confirmed by a gastroenterologist through an endoscope and biopsy.
For more information on coeliac disease visit www.coeliac.org.uk or call the Free-phone helpline number 0870 4448804.
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Weather for Motherwell, Scotland
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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