Prevalence and management of coeliac disease in people with Down’s syndrome
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Prevalence and management of coeliac disease in people with Down’s syndrome

Lynette Harper Senior lecturer in learning disability nursing, Kingston University and St George’s University of London, England

People with Down’s syndrome are more likely to have additional health complications than the general population, including coeliac disease. It is important to monitor people for signs and symptoms of the condition and complete further assessments as required. A gluten-free diet is best practice in management of coeliac disease and this article provides information on how to support people with Down’s syndrome to adhere to this diet. The article also describes the increased incidence of coeliac disease in people with Down’s syndrome, how support staff and carers can monitor for signs or symptoms of the condition, and how to support early identification through screening. It also discusses treatment of coeliac disease and the monitoring required for improved health outcomes.

Learning Disability Practice. doi: 10.7748/ldp.2018.e1889

Citation

Harper L (2018) Prevalence and management of coeliac disease in people with Down’s syndrome. Learning Disability Practice. doi: 10.7748/ldp.2018.e1889

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

Lynette.Harper@sgul.kingston.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Published online: 08 May 2018

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