Our article ‘Raising Awareness’ on the Times of Malta – Friday 3rd June, 2016. You can view all articles published related to Coeliac Disease here.
Coeliac Association Malta (CAM) is a voluntary organisation for people with coeliac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis, which was founded in 1989 by coeliacs.
CAM endeavours to generate greater awareness on coeliac disease by organising conferences, seminars and talks. It organises social activities for members and their families, and maintains contact with members through newsletters issued periodically.
Membership is open to those who have been medically diagnosed. The association offers advice, provides information about the condition and the gluten-free diet and offers support to members and their families.
Coeliac disease is a lifelong autoimmune condition with an estimated one in 100 people having coeliac disease.
Presence of symptoms such as anaemia, diarrhoea, bloating, joint pain, tiredness and nausea does not necessarily mean coeliac disease. These should first be discussed with your doctor to eliminate other causes. For a proper diagnosis, gluten must not be removed from the diet before tests are concluded.
Initial screening involves blood tests to check for specific antibodies and, if positive, these should be followed by a jejunal biopsy to check for villus atrophy of the small intestine to confirm diagnosis. This is the only proper diagnosis for coeliac disease.
A biopsy may not be necessary for children, if blood tests show a high level of antibodies and they have the genes for coeliac disease. A strict gluten-free diet, which must be maintained for life, is the only treatment for coeliac disease. There are many naturally gluten-free foods, such as meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, rice, potatoes, eggs, cheese, nuts, pulses, etc.
CAM has a number of concerns, the most important being:
- The local generic lack of understanding between the needs of coeliacs who have to follow a strict gluten-free diet for life and those who, for various reasons, opt to follow a gluten-free diet as a ‘fad’. Whereas cross-contamination has no ill effects on the ‘fad’ eaters, a single gluten-containing crumb may cause a coeliac to be seriously ill.
- The generic non-implementation of the Food Information for Consumers Regulation (EU) No. 1169/2011 legislation which became operative in the EU in December 2014, to safeguard all those who suffer as a result of allergens, including coeliacs. Little has been done on the local scene to implement it.
- The value of the vouchers given to coeliacs on a monthly basis is too low to enable them to procure their staple needs.
For more information, contact CAM at PO Box 72, Manwel Dimech Street, Sliema, SLM 1055. You can also send an e-mail to info@coeliacassociationmalta.org or visit www.coeliacassocationmalta.org or the Association’s Facebook page.