With England now in its fourth week of lockdown, many bored Brits have turned to baking to keep themselves entertained.
But if you’ve experienced any dizzy spells or clumsiness while you’ve been busy in the kitchen, it could be a key sign that you may have coeliac disease.
Speaking to The Mirror, Dr Babak Ashrafi, an Online Doctor at Zava, explained: “Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition in which there is an abnormal immune response in the gut after eating gluten-rich food (those containing wheat, rye and barley).
“As a result of this, sufferers develop inflammation in the intestinal tract, leading to symptoms such as constipation, bloating, fatigue, iron deficiency and abdominal pain.”
While the most common symptoms are linked to the intestinal tract, on rare occasions, some sufferers may also experience dizzy spells and clumsiness, according to Dr Ashrafi.
He said: “Rarely, the immune system can affect the balance centre of the brain causing “gluten ataxia”, which may affect your balance, coordination or speech.”
If you’re worried that you may have coeliac disease, it’s important you speak to your doctor.
Dr Ashrafi advised: “It’s important to speak to your doctor if you’ve had any of these symptoms for a prolonged length of time and not been investigated.
“NICE suggests the prevalence of this condition may be around 1 in 100 people, and is increasing.
"Remember that you need to be eating gluten for the tests to be accurate at picking up coeliac disease.
“NICE recommends the equivalent of 4 slices of bread daily (10g/gluten per day) for 6 weeks leading up to your initial blood test.”
