I wish I'd had a coeliac test sooner... it's life-changing

Former Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington on finally being told she had the autoimmune disease that affects one in 10 people, and why everyone should be alert to the signs

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Olympic swimming star Rebecca Adlington wishes she had asked her doctors to test her for coeliac disease sooner. But her story, which she is sharing this Coeliac Awareness Month, is by no means unusual.

With just 36% of people with coeliac disease medically diagnosed in the UK, an estimated 500,000 people will be living with unexplained and often debilitating symptoms.

It was only in October last year, aged 35, Rebecca was finally diagnosed with the chronic autoimmune condition that causes the body to react to gluten in the diet. The four-time Olympic medal-winning swimmer describes it as “life changing”, after years of upset.

"As I have had multiple pregnancies, I put a lot of symptoms down to hormonal changes,” she explains. “I suffered with stomach pain, fatigue, mouth ulcers, bloating, and constantly felt run down or ill.

"The tiredness affected both my personal and professional life as I didn't feel as productive or have enough energy like other people.

“Meanwhile, the mouth ulcers affected my diet as I struggled to eat sometimes as they were so painful and so many. The stomach pain was persistent. I also experienced two miscarriages and whilst my doctor couldn't pinpoint the cause, this and my stomach pain ultimately led to me being tested for coeliac disease and subsequently diagnosed.”

She adds: “If you are experiencing ongoing symptoms or issues like I had, just ask the doctor for a test. I never even thought I might have coeliac disease but I wish I had asked my doctors to test me sooner.”

For this year's Coeliac Awareness Month, running throughout May, Coeliac UK is urging the public to ask their GP: “Is it coeliac disease?” and take the charity's free online self-assessment tool to calculate their risk.