Embarrassing Men’s Health Problems
Coeliac Disease
Coeliac disease is a genetic bowel disorder caused by an allergy to gluten, a protein that is found in wheat, rye and barley. Most people with coeliac disease can eat oats, although some people with a more severe sensitivity to gluten cannot.
How Common Is It and What Are the Symptoms?
Coeliac disease affects about 3 per cent of the Irish population. It can present in early childhood with frequent smelly stools, lack of growth, anaemia, failure to thrive and weight loss. However, in many adults the condition is not diagnosed until middle age and people often present with very vague and nonspecific bowel or stomach complaints such as wind, gas, constipation, bloating and sometimes pale smelly stools that are difficult to flush. Coeliac disease may also be a cause of tiredness, including chronic fatigue. Health care pharmacy online
How Is the Condition Diagnosed?
Blood tests may show anaemia, which can be due to a combination of a lack of iron and a lack of folic acid. Specific coeliac blood tests can check for the presence of antigluten and other antibodies. The diagnosis is confirmed by carrying out biopsies of a part of the bowel known as the jejunum. This test will be carried out by a hospital specialist.
How Is Coeliac Disease Treated?
The cornerstone of the management of coeliac disease is simply to avoid gluten and to strictly follow a gluten-free diet. This means no wheat, no barley and no rye, and avoiding any food containing these ingredients, including bread, cakes and pies. Gluten-free biscuits, flour, bread and pasta are available. Rice, maize, soy, potatoes, sugar, jam, syrup and treacle are allowed, along with moderate quantities of oats. People with coeliac disease are at risk of developing several complications; this is largely due to a lack of compliance with a gluten-free diet. Human nature and a dislike of restrictions mean that people may be inclined to not follow medical advice when they don’t feel sick. However, sufferers who do not comply properly with a strict gluten-free diet have an increased risk of osteoporosis and of both iron and folate deficiency anaemias. There is some evidence that patients with coeliac disease are at increased risk of some bowel cancers, including one known as intestinal lymphoma. It is thought that adherence to a strict gluten-free diet decreases this risk.
Gout
Gout can be an extremely painful condition that mainly affects men. In fact gout is the most common cause of pain, redness and tenderness (painful arthritis) in men over the age of 40. Gout is caused by a build-up in the body of a chemical called uric acid.
