27 November 2015

New research has highlighted that the number of children diagnosed with coeliac disease in the Lothian region of Scotland has more than doubled since 2010.

The study, which was conducted by a team from the Department of Gastroenterology at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, found a continual rise in diagnosed cases of the condition. It also found that the average age at childhood diagnosis was eight years old.

Our Scotland Lead, Myles Fitt, said: “We are beginning to get a clearer picture from research like this of the scale of coeliac disease in children yet we know many children remain untreated and undiagnosed. For many parents, undiagnosed coeliac disease in children is a very worrying time as they watch their child being ill with often no clear understanding why. Raising awareness of the symptoms of coeliac disease among parents is vital to ensure signs of the condition in children are picked up and acted upon quickly to prevent ill health.”