'Undated' Information on Coeliac Disease

[philaustin]

Here's something that's a bit annoying. If you try to do a bit of self help and read up on Coeliac related subjects, most of the web search engines point to the Coeliac UK web site. Fair enough; it's the one the NHS point you too as they show you the door after a gastroenterologist has confirmed you're coeliac. At first sights, CUK appear to have lots of high quality information, but when you try delving into it you either get directed around in circles through 'Your Questions Answered' lists or you finally find an article by an expert that tells you its a complicated subject and nobody really knows the answer because not enough research or studies have been carried out. The really annoying part though, is that nobody seems to think its important to put a date on anything any more.

The knowledge on how Covid -19 and Coeliac disease are related, and advice to Coeliacs regarding vaccination and self-protection , appears to be differ depending on what you read, but an article or a statement could be a year old or bang up to date. No way of telling unless the article has a date on it.

[Hidden]

Hi Phil, G.I.G. have some info about COVID and the vaccine on their website:

gluten.org/?s=Covid&x=10&y=15

And here’s the article about the vaccine for us:

gluten.org/faq/are-the-covi...

I hope this helps as it is interesting to know how COVID and the vaccine affect coeliac.

[philaustin in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Jerry. The links point to the same article I think. It tells us that coeliac are not at a greater risk than the general population and advises we get vaccinated. It is from a US source. I've been rooting through the info on the web written at a level I can understand and my conclusion is that a percentage of coeliac have spleen malfunction. The spleen filters out dead cells and also helps the immune system. An inefficient spleen makes the vaccination less efficient, but also means that generally, coeliac with an inefficient spleen who get Covid-19 will stand a lower chance of survival than the general populus. Since spleen function is not monitored, none of us know who is at risk.

Its the wording of the letter I received from the NHS that I find alarming.

"Monitoring of data on vaccine effectiveness indicates lower protection in vaccinated adults who are immunosuppressed. Those with severe immunosuppression are likely to suffer poor outcomes following infection and are less likely to benefit from vaccines"

NHS publication C1228

31st March 2021.

Dr Nikita Kanani Medical Director for Primary Care, NHS England

Ed Waller Director of Primary Care, NHS England

So, we should get immunised, but it might not help.

Do I feel lucky?

[philaustin in reply to philaustin]

Well, the surgery phoned me today as promised. After waiting for them to re-open after lunch and waiting in a small phone queue I got to talk to someone they call a triage, I think, who told me that I received a letter from the doctor because the NHS had a new logarithm but I'm not immunosuppressed and shouldnt worry. I told her I was coeliac and she said "oh, that must be it then". I said I'd read up on it and the NHS said some coeliac were severely immunosuppressed. Again I asked for assurance, and again she told me the doctor said I was okay; It was all because of the 'logarithm'. I'm an old engineer who used log tables in the 1970s and I'm sure the NHS must be using computers to do their sums now. I expect they got the decimal point in the wrong place. An easy mistake to make.

[Penel in reply to philaustin]

Perhaps she meant ‘algorithm’ rather than ‘logarithm’? 😊

Glad to hear that you’ve sorted it out.

[philaustin in reply to Penel]

Thanks.

But have I? Time will tell.