VIDEO | Celiac disease affects over 600 thousand people in Italy
250 thousand patients have been diagnosed, 350 thousand do not know they are diagnosed
ROME – In Italy, 56% of the population claims to be completely or poorly informed about celiac disease and 30% believe that this pathological condition may not always be serious. A photograph, the one taken from an analysis conducted by the Bhave Institute, in collaboration with the health policy magazine Italian Health Policy Brief (IHPB), which confirms the underestimation in the perception of this chronic autoimmune disease and which, in large part, tells us that much still remains to be done to inform, raise awareness, organize and train. These are all prerequisites to make the healthcare response more homogeneous and efficient in all regions and raise the level of quality of life of over 250 thousand celiac patients already diagnosed, but also to encourage the identification and certain diagnosis of a segment of the population , it is estimated that at least 350 thousand people have never been diagnosed. A disease which, according to the report to Parliament by the Ministry of Health, records 9/10,000 cases every year, affecting 70% of the female population and the remaining 30% of the male population, with a constantly growing trend.
This and more were discussed during a meeting hosted today at Palazzo Giustiniani, in conjunction with World Celiac Day which will be celebrated on May 16th. An event promoted by Senator Elena Murelli, president of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Celiac Disease, Food Allergies and Food for Special Medical Purposes, which saw the discussion between representatives of institutions, clinicians, representatives of patient associations and the advocacy world , as well as a broad representation of the production chain, distribution and specialized shops. The aim of the meeting, one year after the establishment of the Parliamentary Intergroup, is to give an account of the activities developed by this body in the light of a precise legislative agreement and the state of the art of the draft Law 623 (Protection of subjects suffering from celiac disease and provisions for prevention and information regarding the disease) currently under examination by the Senate, of which Senator Murelli herself is the first signatory, but also to evaluate the state of implementation of Law 130/2023 regarding diagnostic programs for the identification of celiac disease and diabetes in pediatric age, as well as collecting elements for the activity to be developed in the future by the members of the Technical-scientific and Social Committee (Ctss) which supports the work of the Parliamentary Intergroup.
“Celiac disease and type 1 diabetes – stated the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, opening the proceedings – have an impact on health and the health service which must not be underestimated and the With the national screening program for the pediatric population, Italy is giving a significant signal of attention and commitment. A continuous and constant commitment, in synergy with associations and Parliament, which ranges from prevention to contributions for diet, from training to ‘information up to research”.
“Celiac disease – declared Senator Elena Murelli – is an increasingly frequent autoimmune disease and there are many undiagnosed cases, as are many and increasing food allergies. These nutritional problems have extreme need for a new season based on an increasingly broad ‘social convergence’ between healthcare, educational-scholastic actions, training and, more generally, culture of intervention. These are the guidelines underlying the commitment of our parliamentary intergroup conceived in “tells of a constructive collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Government”. “With regards to the bill of which I am the first signatory – she continued – the circularity throughout the national territory of the vouchers used monthly by celiacs to buy gluten-free products is envisaged, which they now have regional value. Furthermore, the dematerialisation of the vouchers is planned in the four regions that still use them in paper form. We also consider information to be fundamental, not only in schools, but above all training, especially that of operators HO.RE.CA. A specific module for celiac disease is also included in the HACCP certification, so that everyone is informed about the danger of contamination in the food preparation and administration process to guarantee a gluten-free meal for everyone “. “We have made progress – Senator Murelli then underlined – there are many specialized shops and companies that have diversified production, opening up to gluten free products. The work of raising awareness is important especially for younger, so as not to suffer discrimination with possible psychological repercussions”.
Guidelines conceived with reference to the most advanced international experiences and defined in harmony with patient associations, training and awareness in the world of schools, as well as in the hospitality and catering sector, simplification/bureaucratization and homogeneity of access in the area to gluten-free foods, strengthening and valorising screening activities for early diagnosis in the population, especially in the pediatric field, thanks to solid training of clinicians.
“These – explained the president of the Italian Celiac Association, Rossella Valmarana – are the pillars on which the new season of a more efficient fight against celiac disease must rest, a public health issue that it affects the vast audience of celiac patients, as well as two million people affected by food allergies in Italy”.
Professor Antonella Polimeni, rector of the Sapienza University of Rome, discussed the importance of adequate training of clinicians for the purposes of early diagnosis during the proceedings, and during her speech she highlighted how training based on scientific knowledge of celiac disease in specialist medicine is the true goal for early screening of the disease and how sentinel lesions can sometimes be the only clinical observation of the disease. 360-degree training and information are therefore fundamental ingredients for a more effective fight against celiac disease and food allergieswhich must also concern the different but important roles of school operators – teachers, collaborators responsible for canteen services– as highlighted by the head of the Legislative Office of the Ministry of Merit and Public Education and member of the Ctss of the Parliamentary Intergroup, Giuseppe Cerrone, underlining that “the objective of the Ministry of Education and Merit is, on the one hand, to strengthen the professional training of teachers by providing, thanks to a specific intervention provided for in Bill 623, that during the annual training and testing process of teaching staff and educational, training and awareness-raising activities are carried out on celiac disease and the gluten-free diet and, on the other hand, to encourage the promotion of educational activities and initiatives within all schools of the national education system that make young students aware of the relevance of food intolerances”. “With particular regard, then, to hotel institutes – he specified – the Ministry of Education and Merit will also undertake to support the provision of Bill 623 so that the relevant study paths provide for the strengthening by students of specific skills relating to the preparation and service of products for celiac disease and the gluten-free diet”.
The centrality of training obviously also concerns the social segment of those involved in the varied world of food operators/preparers/administrators, on whose work the safety of people with celiac disease depends. Umberto Scognamiglio of the Italian Society of Human Nutrition focused on this delicate aspect and, drawing attention to the delicate role of these professional figures, recalled that “all nutrition professionals have the important task of educating not only patients suffering from celiac disease or their family members, but also those who in various capacities are responsible for food offerings in the public and commercial sector. We refer to collective catering companies as well as commercial catering whose operators must be aware of the good practices for the management of food for celiac patients, their preparation and conservation, in order to limit as much as possible the dangers linked to gluten contamination in the food consumed by the celiac”.
The survey conducted by the Bhave Institute also highlighted another rather interesting fact: among the concerns of parents of celiac children, in first place, with 26%, is the risk that the child may eating something unsuitable for his diet, sharing food with other children. This is an example that once again indicates what and how many problems characterize the daily life of patients and families. Problems that would find a large part of the solution with awareness-raising activities in schools, contributing to the growth of citizens capable of accepting dietary differences. In this, the daily activity of patient associations can be a valid help for institutions and public bodies. The event was organized with the non-conditional contribution of Dr. Schär and Bayer Italia.