Coeliac Awareness Week will take place from Monday 9th to Sunday 15th June 2025. This year’s theme is “Coeliac disease is different for everybody.” It focuses on the wide range of symptoms and looks to uncover the hidden, lesser-known symptoms and complications of the disease such as skin conditions including dermatitis herpetiformis, dental defects and puberty milestones in children.
Coeliac disease has been estimated to occur in up to 1% of the population and may appear at any age, including the elderly. Symptoms of coeliac disease can vary widely between individuals and may range from mild to severe. Some people may not experience noticeable symptoms, despite having intestinal damage. Diarrhoea and weight loss are usually present, but extraintestinal symptoms may occur, sometimes without any obvious gastrointestinal changes. As a result, coeliac disease may not be recognised until later in life, after the treatment of other symptoms has been managed.
Our annual Coeliac Awareness Week is crucial to raise awareness, because the condition is often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Many people suffer symptoms for years without knowing they have it. Some individuals, especially children may primarily present with growth problems or delayed puberty, others may be asymptomatic but are diagnosed through family screening or complications like osteoporosis or unexplained miscarriages.
Watch out for updates in our members newsletter and on Facebook, about ways you can help raise awareness to encourage early diagnosis and reduce the stigma around following a strict gluten-free diet. Greater awareness will lead to better health outcomes for all people with coeliac disease and improve the quality of gluten-free options and clearer labelling.
If you would like to share your lived experience of coeliac disease, email: admin@coeliac.org.nz
Common symptoms of coeliac disease:
Gastrointestinal symptoms:
Nutritional deficiencies (due to malabsorption)
Neurological symptoms:
Dermatological symptoms:
Other symptoms
The treatment of coeliac disease is a strict, lifelong gluten-free diet. This helps heal the small intestine, prevent symptoms and reduce the risk of complications. Talk to your health professional for advice.
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ABOUT COELIAC
NEW ZEALAND
Your partner in
healthy living
Coeliac New Zealand walks alongside you for every stage of your journey with coeliac disease. As part of the Coeliac New Zealand community, you’ll get support, advice, and assistance when you need it, while we work with health professionals, gluten free manufacturers, and researchers to raise awareness of coeliac disease in NZ. Together, we can reach the day when every person with coeliac disease gets diagnosed quickly, lives a healthy life, and has the prospect of a cure.
ABOUT COELIAC
NEW ZEALAND
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