IN COELIAC DISEASE, an autoimmune condition, the mucosa of the small intestine is damaged by gluten. The damage to the small intestine results in a reduced ability to digest and absorb food and causes malabsorption of essential nutrients such as vitamins, iron, folic acid and calcium. The prevalence of coeliac...

There are two types of food allergy: Immunoglobulin E (IgE) allergy and non-IgE allergy. The prevalence of food allergy is 1.2% to 3.2% in the adult population.

IgE allergy causes rapid reactions usually within minutes of ingestion of the food. In some cases this type of allergy can cause anaphylaxis eg. as...