We continue to work with our Health Advisory Council to make sure we’re giving you the best advice in line with Government guidance. Please keep an eye on our website and social media for the latest updates. We also continue to work with food manufacturers and retailers to ensure availability of gluten free food for people with coeliac disease throughout the pandemic.

Alongside this, we've created resources to help our gluten free community keep living well gluten free. We've also developed new digital support tools for those recently diagnosed, and information on how to keep busy and cope with loneliness.

We’re doing what we can but if you can think of anything that would help you, please let us know by clicking here.

Keep an eye on our website and the government updates too. We will do our best to keep you updated with this evolving situation.

Follow Government advice:  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-uidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

As coronavirus is a new illness, there is no specific research on the risk to people with coeliac disease. The Government’s recommendation around people who ‘have problems with their spleen’ means that some people with coeliac disease are included within the high risk group. The spleen has an important role in fighting infection and around 30% of people with coeliac disease have hyposplenism. Spleen function is not routinely assessed, so not everyone will know if they have hyposplenism. As most people won’t know whether they have hyposplenism or not, our Health Advisory Council think it is reasonable that people with coeliac disease may consider themselves to be within the at risk group and to follow the associated advice.

Research tells us that 30% of people with coeliac disease have reduced spleen function, known as hyposplenism, which affects the body’s ability to fight infection.  However there is also some limited research to suggest that children diagnosed with coeliac disease and following a gluten free diet have a lower risk of hyposplenism. This should provide some reassurance that children with coeliac disease are at less risk of severe illness associated with coronavirus than adults with coeliac disease, and may therefore not be in the high risk category. Our Health Advisory Council would support parents/guardians who choose to follow the advice for high risk groups for their children.

Gluten free staple foods are available on prescription in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Gluten free bread and flour mixes are available in some areas in England so check availability here. In areas of England where access to gluten free food on prescription has been restricted, it is unlikely that local policies will be reviewed at this present time.

We have seen a massive increase in demand for our services, with enquiries and calls for help increasing by 500%. We are working flat out to find the answers our community needs – about health risks for people with coeliac disease and to make sure that gluten free food is still accessible. This includes launching a dedicated Coronavirus Hub to help the coeliac community navigate through this crisis and make the best of the resources that we have.

I have been speaking with Coeliac UK and local immunologists in Scotland, hoping to carry out more research into response to immunisation and also spleen function in coeliac disease, so that we can be more certain about the risks, but that work will take a while. I think it is important that we try to answer these questions.

The NHS website and Government website are being updated on a regular basis and are the best place to go to for the latest information and guidance. Follow their advice to try and keep yourself safe.

As always, make sure you follow a strict gluten free diet, which is the treatment for coeliac disease.