For those with a family history of coeliac disease or experiencing symptoms like long-term diarrhoea or constipation, weight loss, abdominal pain, bloating or skin rashes, our Coeliac Test is a valuable diagnostic tool.

What is this test?

Coeliac disease is relatively common- in fact, about 1% of the population will have it. It is a reaction to gliadin which is found within gluten. It can be associated with other disorders such as thyroid disease and type 1 diabetes and can often run in families. Symptoms include long-term diarrhoea or constipation, weight loss, abdominal distension or bloating. A particular skin rash is also strongly associated with this disease known as Dermatitis Herpetiformis.

Who is this test for?

Test recommended for:

Those people who have a family history of coeliac disease should consider this test. We also suggest that those people who have the symptoms listed above consider the test.

Test not recommended for:

Patients who experience a sudden change in bowel habits; should be reviewed by an appropriately trained healthcare practitioner. Patients who have not consumed reasonable amounts of gluten recently will also test negative even though they may in fact have coeliac disease. The test is not perfect therefore if there is a strong family history of the disease and you have symptoms then even a negative test can’t rule out the condition and you should see an appropriately trained healthcare professional to seek appropriate advice.

Useful test information:

Please do not take this test if you don’t consume reasonable amounts of gluten in your diet. You are likely to get a ‘false-negative’ result.

For more information on what is included in this test, please refer to our ‘How to take a test‘ page.

Dr Toby Dean

BA (Hons) MBBS MRCGP