CELIAC DISEASE AWARENESS DAY
Focus IN CD project is supporting ESPGHAN (The European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition) and AOECS (The Association of European Coeliac Societies) efforts to promote the celiac disease awareness day and to spread the knowledge about celiac disease.
16 May 2018 will mark International Coeliac Day 2018, which focuses on raising awareness of the condition amongst both members of the public and healthcare professionals. Coeliac disease is the most common food-related chronic disease among children in Europe, with prevalence rising in recent decades. However, up to 80% of coeliac disease cases remain undiagnosed in children, which can lead to many serious association health complications.
ESPGHAN and the AOECS are therefore calling on the EU and its Member States to employ effective detection programmes to achieve early diagnosis of coeliac disease in children.
The two societies have come together to produce a manifesto for change, outlining three steps that must be taken throughout Europe to promote earlier diagnosis:
1. Greater public awareness of paediatric coeliac disease
2. Greater healthcare professional awareness of coeliac disease, its symptoms and the high-risk groups
3. Establishment of national detection programmes for early identification of paediatric coeliac disease
We would like to invite you to join us in calling for this change on 16 May 2018. We would be delighted if you were able to share the manifesto on your website, communication or social channels, along with an infographic on paediatric coeliac disease across Europe.
To view and download the manifesto and infographic, please visit the following links:
Paediatric-Coeliac-Disease-Manifesto-FINAL-30.04.pdf
Paediatric-Coeliac-Disease-Infographic-FINAL.PDF
We hope that you will join ESPGHAN, AOECS and Focus IN CD (http://www.focusincd.eu/) in calling for change on International Coeliac Day 2018.
