A Canadian specialist has called for more children to be screened for coeliac disease to reduce the risk of serious complications caused when the condition is left undiagnosed. Because the disease causes damage to the small intestine, the body has a harder time absorbing the nutrients in food.  It can lead to other health complications including osteoporosis, anemia and an increased risk of bowel cancer.

Dr. Collin Barker, a pediatric gastroenterologist at BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver urged everyone who has symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, and bloating, and those who have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, to be screened for coeliac disease as well. He believes the generic nature of the symptoms often leads to misdiagnosis of coeliac disease, and increased screening may reduce the potentially serious consequences of this.