Low Rates of Coeliac Disease Diagnosis

The motion

That the Parliament congratulates Coeliac UK on its 50th anniversary of providing invaluable advice and support to people affected by coeliac disease; understands that this serious auto-immune condition, which is caused by a reaction to gluten, affects 1 in 100 people; notes with concern the reported low diagnosis rate in Scotland of 27%; understands that these figures suggest that around 40,000 of the estimated 53,000 people in the country living with the condition do not have a clinical diagnosis; believes that, in the South Scotland region, this equates to nearly 4,500 people out of 6,000; understands that the time between the onset of symptoms and a clinical diagnosis can sometimes be up to 13 years; believes that the condition is only treatable by switching to a lifelong gluten-free diet; acknowledges that not being diagnosed can cause difficult and unpleasant symptoms, including stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, fatigue, anaemia, weight loss and mouth ulcers, and that delayed diagnosis can lead to osteoporosis and small bowel cancer; understands with alarm that more evidence is emerging suggesting that the condition can cause neurological symptoms, which, combined with a delay in diagnosis, can cause permanent damage that a gluten-free diet cannot reverse; acknowledges that the NHS is taking steps to improve the patient pathway to improve the clinical identification of the condition; notes the calls for further action by the Scottish Government to close the gap in diagnosis by raising awareness levels among the public about the signs and symptoms, with the aim of more people getting the timely diagnosis that they need, and applauds the efforts of Coeliac UK on this important issue.

No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

Con 19 Lab 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S5M-12874 by reference.