Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in tonight's adjournment debate on coeliac disease and Coeliac Awareness Week, which is held annually from 13 to 20 March. The aim during this time is to raise awareness of the disease, with particular emphasis on its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Each year there is a theme for Coeliac Awareness Week, and this year the theme is: 'Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired?' That is certainly a theme that many people who have been diagnosed with coeliac disease can relate to.

Coeliac disease is a hereditary disease where the immune system reacts abnormally to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats. It is estimated that one in every 100 people is affected by coeliac disease, so based on Australia's current population there are probably around 230,000 sufferers in our country alone. However, 80 per cent of coeliacs are undiagnosed. So there are probably about 180,000 people walking around not knowing that they have coeliac disease.

There are a number of reasons that coeliac disease is undiagnosed, including that it is not always easy to diagnose. There are a number of tests—or purported tests—that are used, some with varying reliability, and I will speak more about the testing shortly. Diagnosis is often difficult because the symptoms can be vague and sometimes people have no symptoms whatsoever.

A website, www.sickandtired.com.au, has been set up specifically for the current campaign. That certainly has a lot of information about coeliac disease, as does the Coeliac Australia website, www.coeliac.org.au. The information is wide ranging and diverse and covers a number of issues, including the symptoms of the disease. I will go through some of those now, bearing in mind that I am not medically trained, but the lists in the websites are quite extensive. There are gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, cramping, bloating and abdominal pain. Other symptoms include tiredness, irritability or feeling 'out of sorts'; bone and joint pain; delayed growth in children; iron deficiency anaemia and/or other vitamin and mineral deficiencies; osteoporosis; autoimmune disease, with autoimmune conditions commonly occurring together; weight loss, although some people may gain weight; infertility; and a family history of coeliac disease. It is fairly obvious why, when you consider the wide range of symptoms and the possibility that there are no symptoms, the disease is underdiagnosed, but this needs to change. Proper diagnosis excludes other serious illnesses and that is clearly important, but proper diagnosis and implementation of a gluten-free diet—which is the treatment for coeliac disease—is life changing for many people who have been diagnosed with the disease.

One of the websites that I referred to earlier—sickandtired.com.au—has a number of stories of those who have been diagnosed with coeliac disease and have made the subsequent transition to a gluten-free diet. Some of the comments from those with coeliac disease include: 'Felt sick and/or tired, went to my GP, was diagnosed with coeliac disease, so I began a gluten-free diet and cannot believe now how much better I feel. It was discovered I had osteoporosis, which did not make any sense at all. Now I have been diagnosed with coeliac disease and thank goodness it will not get any worse.' Those comments are from the Australian Coeliacmagazine, which is produced by Coeliac Australia. The first step in the diagnosis is a blood test that can be ordered by your GP, and I encourage anyone with symptoms of coeliac disease to visit their GP and discuss the possibility of having the disease.

Tomorrow, Coeliac Awareness Week is being launched at Parliament House with an information day and complimentary blood screening for members, senators and staff who have symptoms of coeliac disease. There will also be an information table, where people who have an interest in the condition can find out more about coeliac disease. I certainly encourage my colleagues and staff at Parliament House to take advantage of this service, and I congratulate Coeliac Australia on their work to assist those with coeliac disease and for organising the annual Coeliac Awareness Week to raise awareness, testing and diagnosis of coeliac disease.

Ms Anna Burke (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member, particularly on behalf of my brother and nieces, who are coeliacs. It is a terrible disease to be afflicted with.