How can we … use AI to speed up coeliac disease diagnosis?
30 May 2025
Around one in 100 people has coeliac disease , an autoimmune disease triggered by consuming gluten. Its symptoms are unpleasant and if left untreated, can in rare cases lead to cancer . Symptoms vary between individuals, from stomach cramps to fatigue and anaemia, which means patients can struggle to receive an accurate diagnosis. The gold standard for diagnosing coeliac disease is via a biopsy of the duodenum (part of the small intestine ). Pathologists will then analyse the sample under a microscope or on a computer to look for damage to the villi, tiny hair-like projections that line the inside of the small intestine. But interpreting biopsies is subjective, with discordance between pathologists regarding diagnosis occurring in one in five cases.
