The team from the University of Bristol and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West suggested that GPs could improve this by:

• Keeping coeliac disease in mind as a possible diagnosis
• Sharing information on blood tests 

Researchers also discussed how the uncertainty patients experience during testing for coeliac disease needs to be addressed when considering diagnostic pathway changes, such as a move towards using only blood test results for diagnosis. 

Getting diagnosed with coeliac disease can take a long time. This is because symptoms are usually non-specific and can be attributed to other conditions. This often leads to a delay between when symptoms first develop and when a patient is diagnosed. 

Researchers wanted to understand the experience of someone who had undergone diagnosis. They spoke with 20 adults, many of whom had been experiencing non-specific symptoms for years before coeliac disease was confirmed. They found patients also experienced uncertainty while undergoing testing for the disease, which caused further anxiety. 

Read the full news item on the NIHR ARC West site

Paper: Harper A et al. (2023). Understanding the patient experience of coeliac disease diagnosis: a qualitative interview study. British Journal of General Practice.