chandigarh if your child is anaemic suffers from diarrhoea frequently and unable to thrive even after a good diet you should immediately see a physician as he might be suffering from wheat allergy one in 300 especially children suffers from this disorder in the northern region wheat being a staple diet here five new cases are reported at pgi every weekthe above mentioned symptoms are visible in 80 of the cases in the age group of 23 years other atypical manifestations are constipation pain in the abdomen rickets refractory anaemia and juvenile diabetes mellitus but the disease occurs in all age groups in adults it is symptomatic in the form of diarrhoea weight loss osteoporosis refractory anaemia dyspepsia irritable bowel symptoms infertility and general feeling of uneasinessas people do not understand the reason for their problems this autoimmune disease remains undiagnozed for a long time and in many cases for years however the good news is that the disease is totally curable by removing wheat and its related products from dietary habits of affected person for his lifetime affirming this prof br thapa paediatric gastroenterology pgi said this solution however is not that simple as wheat is the staple diet in this region people harbour a misconception that their normal life would be affected and they would suffer from other deficiencies if they discontinue taking wheat but assuring that no deficiency occurs he pointed out barley and rye not prevalent in india should also be avoidedpatients can opt for other cereals like rice maize jowar and bajra flour any protein deficiency can be replaced with consumption of pulses soyabean and besan milk and milk products and fruits and fruit juices are other food items which should be taken he saidbesides food products like chocolate junk food noodles biscuits wafers made of maida cold drinks and other confectionery and bakery products should also be avoided he cautionedin cases of affected children they are given supplements containing iron and folic acid for one year other minerals like zinc and calcium are administered when required parents are counselled by dietician about their childrens diet where compliance is good prof thapa said children are found to recover quickly catch growth faster and lead a normal lifewheat allergy is an autoimmune disease which causes reaction to proteins especially gluten found in wheat the immune system of a person having wheat allergy develops a specific antibody a diseasefighting agent to the wheat protein besides environmental factors genetic factors are also responsible for the ailment prof thapa revealed