A TV advertising campaign has been launched by Coeliac Australia to raise awareness that the disease affects people from all ethnic backgrounds.

Launched during During Coeliac Awareness Week from 13 to 20 March, the 30-second animated commercial running on major TV networks aims to address concerns that many Australians of diverse ethnic backgrounds are missing out on a coeliac disease diagnosis because they don’t fit the traditional profile of someone with the autoimmune condition.

“Traditionally, the face of coeliac disease has been the white, Anglo Saxon person with abdominal symptoms,” says Dr Jason Tye-Din, gastroenterologist at the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research in Melbourne, and chair of Coeliac Australia’s Medical Advisory Committee.

“But the true face of coeliac disease is much broader. We now know that coeliac disease doesn’t discriminate, it affects people from all around the globe, males and females, with a range of symptoms.

According to Coeliac Australia, one in 70 of the population has coeliac disease but 80% of affected Australians – more than 270,000 people – are unaware they have the condition

The new campaign will encourage people who suspect they may be at risk of coeliac disease to take an online self-assessment on Coeliac Australia’s website.

If risk factors for coeliac disease are identified, the participant can download a letter to take to their GP with details of their assessment results and links to Coeliac Australia’s resources.