Easy-to-dismiss symptoms of cancer-causing coeliac disease - after Olympic star Rebecca Adlington reveals shock diagnosis

Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington has revealed she's recently been dealt a life-changing diagnosis — the debilitating gut condition, coeliac disease.

In a short social media clip, the 36 year-old announced her diagnosis and pledged support for a charity campaign that aims to increase access to prescriptions for gluten-free products.

The condition triggers an extreme immune system over-reaction everytime the sufferer eats gluten, causing the body to attack the gut.

The twice Olympic gold winner is far from alone in being hit with the disease later in adulthood.

Studies show that the average patient takes 13 years to be diagnosed, as the signs are often subtle and can easily be mistaken for other, less serious problems like irritable bowel syndrome.

And two thirds of the millions of people in the UK who have the condition don't know it, according to Coeliac UK.

But if left untreated, the condition poses potentially life-threatening complications.

At the milder end of the scale, the illness causes the digestive system to absorb nutrients poorly, leading to severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Long term, the condition can trigger osteoporosis — a condition where the bones become brittle and weak, as a result of failure to absorb calcium.

Some become malnourished, dramatically increasing the risk of contracting potentially deadly infections.

Those with untreated coeliac disease are also more likely to develop lactose intolerance — where the body lacks the enzyme needed to digest the natural sugar (lactose) found in dairy products.

Lactose intolerance triggers unpleasant symptoms such as bloating, diarrhoea and stomach pain.

Most alarmingly, studies suggest that those with coeliac disease are more than twice as likely to develop some types of deadly cancers than those without the condition.

Bowel cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma blood cancer are both more common in those with coeliac disease.

However, following a gluten free diet dramatically reduces this risk.

While the signs of the disease can be easy to dismiss, experts urge Britons to take the telltale symptoms seriously.

The most common is diarrhoea, with stools often particularly foul smelling and difficult to flush down the toilet.

Stomach pain, bloating and flatulence are also common signs, as well as indigestion, constipation and, in some cases, vomiting.

There are other, lesser-known symptoms that do not involve the gut.

These include extreme tiredness, which may be a sign of coeliac-related vitamin deficiency, unexpected weight loss, itchy rashes and problems with co-ordination, balance and speech.

Persistent mouth ulcers may be another lesser-known sign.

A simple blood test that looks for antibodies that are present in coeliac patients is ususally the first port of call for a diagnosis.

However, if someone has been following a self-imposed gluten free diet, the antibodies may not show up in the blood.

It's for this reason that experts urge those who suspect coeliac disease to continue eating gluten until they have a diagnosis.

If coeliac disease antibodies are found in the blood, the GP will refer patients to a gastroenterologist, who specialises in diseases of the gut.

The specialist may arrange more blood tests, or a biopsy of the intestine that can look for damage that is characteristic of the disease.

The treatment for coeliac disease is a gluten free diet — and it is highly effective. Doctors can refer patients to specialist dietitians who help with constructing a diet plan.

In some cases, patients may need supplements to restore the balance of any vital nutrients lost.