By Miranda Luby
THREE years ago, Pakenham’s Mark Donald started to feel unusually tired.
At first, the 56-year-old put it down to working long hours, but as the tiredness got worse, he knew it had to be something more.
“The tiredness was crushing and it never went away,” he said. “It got so bad that I didn’t want to get out of bed in the mornings.”
Eventually, Mark was diagnosed with coeliac disease, a serious condition which can prove fatal if not treated.
Mark is one of the lucky ones, because he was diagnosed and treated.
Coeliac expert, Dr Jason Tye-Din, said that although at least one in 100 men have coeliac disease, 75 per cent of them are not diagnosed and don’t know they have the condition.
A new public education campaign about coeliac disease, which is targeted specifically at men, will be launched later this month.
The campaign, called ‘Mate, have you lost your mojo?’, highlights the typical symptoms of coeliac disease, with unexplained tiredness being a key indicator.
“Any man who falls asleep in the chair after dinner, who does not have the energy to play with his kids, who can’t be bothered to play sport any more or who finds it hard to concentrate at work, should get more information about coeliac disease,” Dr Tye-Din said.
The campaign is a joint initiative of The Coeliac Research Fund and the Coeliac Society. It will be launched during Coeliac Awareness Week which runs from 13-20 March.
Mr Donald said it would definitely help raise awareness for the disease.
“People who know more about it than I did will get checked out sooner,” he said.
Members of the public can call the Coeliac Awareness Hotline on 1300 273 272 for a free brochure on coeliac disease in men or visit the website for more information, www.coeliacawareness.org
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