What Is Coeliac Disease?
Coeliac disease (pronounced see-lee-ak) is a permanent intestinal reaction to dietary gluten. With coeliac disease, the cells lining the small bowel (intestine) become damaged and inflamed. This causes flattening of the tiny, finger like projections, called villi, which line the inside of the bowel.
The function of the villi is to break down and absorb nutrients in food. When these villi become flat, the surface area of the bowel is greatly decreased, which interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. This may also lead to deficiencies in vitamins (such as vitamin D, vitamin B12 or folate) and minerals (e.g. iron and calcium).
International research indicates there could be up to 100,000 people in our NZ team of 5 million with coeliac disease and of those 30,000 are likely to be children under the age of 18. However a large proportion of those are unaware they have the condition.
Coeliac New Zealand is available throughout your journey. As part of our community, you’ll get support, advice, and assistance. We work with health professionals, manufacturers, and researchers to raise awareness of coeliac disease in NZ.
Together, we can reach a day when every person with coeliac disease gets diagnosed quickly, lives a healthy life, and has the prospect of a cure.
Support your charity – the only not-for-profit supporting Kiwis with coeliac disease. Become part of Coeliac New Zealand now.
We're recruiting for volunteers - interested? Share your knowledge and experience with others living with the disease. Find out how.
Help us reach more people who are suffering from coeliac disease. Contribute to the greater good of your community.
Access the online course, approved by the Division for Pediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Munich, Germany.
Coeliac disease is treated with a life-long gluten free diet. By specifically removing the cause of the disease, this treatment generally means that the majority of symptoms (and blood test abnormalities) recover completely. Short stature and dental enamel defects are likely to persist, even with a gluten free diet, depending on how well established these are before the diagnosis is made. Recovery is dependent on strict adherence to the diet.
Some people may require an initial period of a lactose free diet in addition to their gluten-free diet. The damage to the villi interferes with the normal breakdown and absorption of lactose (milk sugar) due to secondary lactose intolerance. With recovery of the villi, progressive reintroduction of lactose might be tolerated again.
About Coeliac New Zealand
Your partner in
healthy living
Coeliac New Zealand is available throughout your journey. As part of our community, you’ll get support, advice, and assistance. We work with health professionals, manufacturers, and researchers to raise awareness of coeliac disease in NZ.
Together, we can reach a day when every person with coeliac disease gets diagnosed quickly, lives a healthy life, and has the prospect of a cure.
For over 50 years, we've been New Zealand’s trusted voice on coeliac disease and the gluten-free lifestyle. As an independent charity, we’re dedicated to helping Kiwis live well, gluten-free - offering expert advice, reliable support, and championing better access to safe, gluten-free food. Our mission is clear: to create a future where everyone on a […]
Thank you to the 465 people who responded to our survey. We had responders from all over New Zealand - a third of whom were from the Auckland Region, 17% from Wellington, 12% from Canterbury, with 9% each from Waikato and BOP and 7% from Otago. It seems that over 50% of you heard about […]
Happy April. I can’t believe that we are almost a quarter of the way through the year!! This month we have some updates to share from our volunteer network. As a small organisation, Coeliac New Zealand relies on our wonderful volunteers who give up their time to support people living with coeliac disease. Our network […]
