Diagnosis of Coeliac Disease in Children

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Diagnosis of Coeliac Disease in Children in Primary Care: a Qualitative Study with Parents/Caregivers and GPs

  • IRAS ID

    318227

  • Contact name

    Christian E Farrier

  • Contact email

    christian.farrier@phc.ox.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Oxford, Research Governance, Ethics and Assurance

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    1 years, 2 months, 31 days

  • Research summary

    Coeliac Disease is a chronic condition involving an autoimmune response triggered by the presence of gluten, a dietary protein found in wheat, causing inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. General practitioners (GPs) do not diagnose Coeliac Disease on a frequent basis, but it is sufficiently common in the population that GPs need to be able to recognise the signs and make decisions regarding screening, further testing and referral to ultimately make these diagnoses. At its onset, the symptoms of Coeliac Disease can be nonspecific and like symptoms in more common paediatric conditions, introducing a potential delay in diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment. This can be associated with worsening morbidity and long-term outcomes.
    We will use interviews with both doctors and parents/caregivers to understand their experiences. Our goal is to understand how Coeliac Disease is currently diagnosed, when it goes well, when it is missed, and when the diagnosis is made late. For parents, we want to understand their lived experiences surrounding the diagnosis with Coeliac Disease and how these views and perspectives change in the months following receiving the diagnosis. The information from the interviews will help us to better understand where we can potentially help doctors in their decision making to diagnose Coeliac Disease as early as possible and to make that process as smooth as possible for families. It will also help us to know what information is helpful to share with families when Coeliac Disease is diagnosed.

  • REC name

    North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1

  • REC reference

    23/NS/0117

  • Date of REC Opinion

    30 Oct 2023

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion