The condition, called gluten ataxia, occurs when, for reasons not fully understood, the immune system goes haywire in response to gluten in the food and attacks parts of the brain. Pictured: Stock imageWorryingly, it is all too often mistaken for other conditions, denying patients simple, effective treatment: a gluten-free diet. Neurologists at Sheffield NHS Teaching Hospital have developed a simple blood test that can offer a diagnosis within minutes. Gluten ataxia is closely linked to coeliac disease – the gluten-related illness that affects at least 600,000 Britons and causes painful inflammation in the gut. Prof Hadjivassiliou has treated more than 600 gluten ataxia patients since opening the Sheffield Ataxia Centre 20 years ago.

Source: Daily Mail November 28, 2020 22:08 UTC