What they said is absolutely correct! However... try explaining that to a "muggle" or someone who doesn't have the disease like we do and they are as confused as you were. Its easier to just say "I can't have wheat, barley or rye or thing that came into contact with them". People understand the word allergy they don't get autoimmune disorder. I typically just say allergic for simplicity.

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition, it's different to an allergy but you can be allergic to wheat! Only bloods and biopsies will tell you if you are coeliac, I have trodden that path and know that it's fact!

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Coeliac disease is auto immune, an allergy is not. Coeliac disease is detectable by a blood test, all the villi (finger things) that help the food go through the gut are flat in coeliacs and you can see from a biopsy. The blood test shows a problem with the bowel. A coeliac can't have rye, wheat or barley. An allergy has typical symptoms like other allergies, you can have gut problems but may have problems with your throat feeling like it's closing, tickling tongue, shortness of breath or sickness and diarrhoea. Coeliac disease? NOT an allergy but you can be allergic to flour.

I agree. Coeliac is a disease that if gluten foods are taken it stops the filli in your intestiness taking the nutrients from the gluten food you eat to nourish you. It takes around 6 months for these filli to recover and You can never eat gluten again as it will just damage it again. You often see pale, weak underweight children before diagnosis and the difference once given up gluten food is amazing, they literally thrive. There is also a slim chance that eating gluten foods could result in stomach cancer so if you are coeliac you must stop all gluten. An allergy is a reaction where you can feel very poorly and get the same upset tummy etc as coeliac sufferers but it doesn’t do damage to your body.