If you or someone in your family has coeliac disease, it’s natural to wonder about whether it will be passed down to your children. In New Zealand, coeliac disease is common and having a close relative with the condition does increase the risk. Here’s what parents need to know about genetics, risk, introducing gluten to … Read more
Coeliac disease has a hereditary component, which is why you’re more likely to develop coeliac disease if you have family members with the condition. More than 99% of people with coeliac disease have either the HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 gene (or parts of them), but these genes aren’t rare – in fact, around 30% of the … Read more
If gluten is a no-go for you, you would have come across your fair share of non-believers. Comments like, “There was no such thing in my day” and “Just a little bit won’t hurt” can wear you out, but are they true? Let’s have a look at the first of these — “There was no … Read more
A blood antibody test, ordered by your GP, is the first step in working out whether or not you have coeliac disease. If this is positive, you’ll be referred to a gastroenterologist, who will take biopsies from your small intestine to look at under a microscope in order to confirm the diagnosis. But, there’s one … Read more
Coeliac disease affects more than one in 70 New Zealanders. Increased awareness is what’s needed to help the estimated 57,000 New Zealanders who have coeliac disease but don’t know it. An autoimmune condition with symptoms triggered by the ingestion of gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley), coeliac disease is thought to affect … Read more