My mum is coeliac, she was diagnosed about 16 years ago, before coeliac was well known. It took her a couple of years to get a diagnosis! The initial test for coeliac is a blood test which looks for antibodies to gluten. If this is positive, a bowel biopsy is usually performed to confirm.
It is far easier to be coeliac today than it was a decade ago! There are many gluten free products available (bread, pasta, biscuits...) and most restaurants and cafes are aware of coeliac disease and are able to advise if a meal is suitable. These days, many menus actually indicate which dishes are gluten free. Food labels often indicate if a product is gluten free, which saves from having to read every ingredient label!
At this time, coeliac disease is a lifelong condition requiring the sufferer to commit to a gluten free diet for EVER! Research is being done to search for a cure and hopefully this will be achieved in the next decade or so! If your daughter does have coeliac she will quickly find a huge improvement in her general well being by following a gluten free diet. it is important not to cut out gluten prior to the blood test as she must eat the gluten to produce the antibodies (which will show that she does have coeliac!).
Coeliac disease is very manageable and at 16 your daughter would quickly learn what foods contain gluten. If you have any questions, I would be happy to try to answer them for you!
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