An increasing number of people are self-diagnosing sensitivities to gluten and this can make testing for conditions such as coeliac disease more difficult, a European conference in Dublin has been told.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Some people have sensitivities to gluten, while those with coeliac disease are unable to digest it. Symptoms of coeliac disease include weight loss, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.

According to Dr Nicholas Kennedy, president of the Coeliac Society of Ireland, ‘gluten intolerance and the benefits of gluten-free diets have become hot topics in Ireland in recent times'.

However, he warned that an increasing number of people are self-diagnosing wheat or gluten sensitivities ‘and this can lead to very specific challenges further down the line when it comes to being tested for coeliac disease'.

"Eliminating gluten from your diet before testing may result in a false negative result. It is important to be on a gluten-containing diet before testing in order to ensure the most accurate result," he explained.

Also speaking at the conference, Prof Ciaran Kelly, medical director of the Coeliac Centre at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston in the US, noted that coeliac disease is ‘common and increasing in prevalence', currently affecting around 1% of the population.

There is also increased reporting of non-coeliac gluten sensitivity, however the prevalence of this is unknown, and a distinction between these two conditions should be made, he said.

"A gluten-free diet is the mainstay of therapy for both conditions. However, differentiating between coeliac disease and non-coeliac gluten sensitivity is important, both for long-term management of a patient's condition and for family risk assessment," Prof Kelly commented.

He explained that people with coeliac disease who consume gluten can expect bloating and discomfort, but also intestinal injury and nutritional deficiencies. If left untreated, complications can include osteoporosis. Those affected tend to have a genetic predisposition towards the disease and the only treatment is a lifelong strict gluten-free diet.

Those with non-coeliac gluten sensitivity tend to have no known genetic predisposition and no known complications. The duration and strictness of their gluten-free diet can also vary.

Prof Kelly noted that gluten-free diets have become more popular in recent years. Between 2004 and 2014, the market for gluten-free products grew by over 20% every year. However, he agreed with Dr Kennedy that diagnosing coeliac disease can be more difficult because of this.

"Diagnosing coeliac disease can be challenging, and requires a series of tests and procedures. Often, undertaking a gluten challenge is the final step for a patient in being positively diagnosed. This is why self-diagnosis can be so harmful - if a patient is already following a gluten-free diet when they present to their clinician, it can delay and distort the diagnosis process," he said.

Dr Kennedy and Prof Kelly made their comments at the annual conference o the Association of European Coeliac Societies, which was hosted by the Coeliac Society of Ireland, in Malahide in Dublin.

For more information on the Coeliac Society of Ireland, click here