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Researchers developed an AI tool to speed up coeliac disease diagnosis.

What is Coeliac Disease? 

It is an autoimmune disorder started by the consumption of gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye.

When someone with coeliac disease eats gluten, their immune system mistakenly attacks the lining of the small intestine-> Damages the villi—tiny, finger-like projections that help absorb nutrients from food -> Over time, this damage leads to malabsorption, where the body struggles to absorb essential nutrients.

Researchers estimate that coeliac disease affects about 1 in 100 people worldwide. It can develop at any age.

Symptoms: Diarrhoea, bloating, stomach cramps, weight loss, anaemia, and skin rashes are common. If left untreated, it may lead to serious complications such as osteoporosis, infertility, certain cancers, and other autoimmune disorders.

Diagnose 

Doctors diagnose coeliac disease through:

• Perform a blood test to check for antibodies related to gluten.
• If the results suggest coeliac disease -> the next step is a biopsy of the duodenum, the first part of the small intestine.
• A pathologist examines the biopsy under a microscope to look for damage to the villi.

New AI tool 

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have created an AI algorithm capable of diagnosing coeliac disease as effectively as a human pathologist—but much faster.

They trained the AI using over 4,000 images of duodenal biopsies obtained from five different hospitals and scanned using equipment from four companies -> To ensure the tool works across diverse datasets and settings.

When a biopsy is scanned, the AI analyses and generates results within a minute -> Traditional methods require manual review by pathologists, however, the AI eliminates delays caused by backlogged workloads. 

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About Gluten|Coeliac disease

Source:

THE GUARDIAN

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