Media Assignment – Can Probiotics Aid in the Treatment of Coeliac Disease?
Elissa Jennifer Watt (z3463000)
21/09/14
Tutor: Melanie Walker
Introduction
Advances in medical diagnosis and screening have revealed that coeliac disease (CD) is a major health issue across the world, affecting all ages. In Australia, the rate of CD was previously estimated to be around 0.4% (Hovell, et al., 2001). More recent estimates suggest that around 1.2% in men and 1.9% in women are affected (Anderson, et al., 2013). Similar statistics from various countries confirms the global prevalence of this disease.
In individuals affected, the consumption of gluten-containing foods triggers an immune response. Avoidance …show more content…
If this is unclear, genetic testing may be done. Clinical manifestations are highly variable between people, thus adequate testing must be done for a proper diagnosis. Coeliac serology can involve an assay for IgA and IgG antibodies to TTG, as well as a gliadin IgA antibody assay. Someone with CD will produce higher than normal levels of these antibodies upon ingestion of gluten. A gastroscopy procedure is then done to take a biopsy of the small intestine, in order to look for villous atrophy. If the diagnosis is still unclear, blood or buccal scrapings can be taken and sent for gene analysis to look for the presence of the HLA-DQ2 gene or HLA-DQ8 …show more content…
Though not directly related to my research, the article states that very few individuals with genetic markers will develop CD, which provoked thought about possible environmental factors involved. Given the use of language with limited scientific terminology, it is evident that the article was written for members of the general public. The article informs clearly and simply of the latest findings surrounding CD diagnosis and prevalence. It includes a video clip with more in-depth information of the scientific study behind the findings. The video was presented by Dr Jason Tye-Din which adds credibility to the article, as does the inclusion of important statistics from the study. The article contains comments from one member of the public affected by CD and the national business development manager of Coeliac Australia. These are not credible sources of information, rather, opinions used to stress the seriousness of the findings. The article effectively communicates the central message to the public using written and visual media but does not have much of a role in my research apart from spurring on thought about what needs to be