A lecture and screening on celiac disease within the European project CD SKILLS (Interreg Danube Transnational Program) took place on Monday, 6 June, in the Day care center “TOTI DCA” Maribor.

There is a lot to hear about a gluten-free diet nowadays, but what is gluten and who needs such a diet? Gluten is the main culprit of problems for people suffering from CELIAC DISEASE, a chronic disease, that most commonly affects the small intestine. Typical problems of celiac patients are diarrhoea, bloating, and abdominal pain. The one and only "cure" for them is a lifelong gluten-free diet. A term gluten is used to describe wheat grain proteins, similar proteins are also found in rye, barley and other related cereals. Did you know that for people with celiac disease, a single grain of wheat in 2 kg of rice is problematic? At the lecture given by doc. dr. Jernej Dolinšek, MD, we learned this and got many other useful information.

Because celiac disease can affect anyone, regardless of age, we conducted a screening test among interested participants, after the lecture. Participants first completed a questionnaire, and then we determined the possible presence of specific antibodies in a drop of blood, which would confirm celiac disease. Students of the Maribor Medical Faculty and paediatricians participated in the rapid testing. At the end of the event, the participants also had the opportunity to try gluten-free sweet and salty products.

Neja Turk Hojs, MD