Does having coeliac disease put you into group 6?

[MyBossIsATwat]

About 1/3 of people who have coeliac disease have reduced spleen function but most coeliacs don’t know if they do or don’t as it’s not routinely tested.

On the gov website it says ‘a problem with your spleen, example sickle cell disease, or you have had your spleen removed’ would put you into group 6, but does anyone have access to more information to know if they’re including coeliacs in this or not?

Thanks.

I have coeliac disease and I got a message yesterday telling me to book my covid jab.. it's all booked for Thursday

I’m in the south-east and haven’t heard anything yet.
I’m assuming all coeliacs everywhere get invited in group 6 and it isn’t a case of some areas include us and others don’t.

As we move beyond group 4 into 5 and 6 it would help for a chore comprehensive list for group 6 to be made available to the public. With the age categories, we all know our age, but I think there is a lot of confusion about who exactly will be included under Group 6.

The Green Book list doesn’t seem that widely available and loads of people haven’t heard of it. I’d imagine surgeries will get LOADS of call from people enquiring if they qualify.

It will depend on how fast each area is getting the vaccine out won't it. You haven't been offered it yet because your area is clearly still doing the other groups.

Yes it does, I got my vaccine today. Lots of others now getting offered it.

[quote Remmy123]@Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady I have family members who are celiac so I do know.

Celiacs are not at any higher risk than any one else of becoming seriously ill if you are following strict gluten free diet.[/quote]
Untrue.

Coeliacs will probably not develop serious complications if they follow a GF diet; however, reduced spleen function is present in around a third of coeliacs regardless of this. The NHS don’t routinely test a coeliac’s spleen function so we are all categorised as group 6.

Those of you who have been offered the vaccine, may I ask your approximate age?

DS was told he may not be in group 6 despite being coeliac because young people are at lower risk.

I second the request for approximate ages please.

@UntamedWisteria @MyBossIsATwat I am 29, I have my vaccine on Thursday

Thanks- that's good to know. And great for you.

Niece having hers next week is 30.

DH hasn’t heard yet, he is in group 6 for another reason as well so I assume it’s because they haven’t got to the group yet.

Hopefully even though my name appears on the quoted post, people realise it's not me that said that shite

Sorry @Iremembertheelderlykoreanlady, yes I knew it wasn’t you....I’m sure everyone else does too.

Our Facebook page knows what group our local vaccination centre is doing.

I contacted GP re what group Dh was in. When they rung me back to arrange his vaccination, GP told me that they were still currently doing group 6&7, and moving onto 8 soon.

But each area is different. Our 2 neighbouring areas are still only doing 6, because their group 6 is huge.

It totally depends on your area.

I wonder if Group 6 will be able to book through the online NHS booking site or whether it will all have to be via the GP after a letter or call.

Age groups and Carers don’t have have to wait for the letter but can just book now. Is group 6 too nuanced to allow this? Surely if an alert is put after your name, the online booking system could cope with that.

Guessing though that with 7.3m in Group 6, it’s just too many to allow all to book online at once as the system would be flooded and I understand they only like to book a few days in advance because of supply risk.

I’m in my early to mid thirties.

Just an update, the NHS booking service online now says on its front page, that if you are moderately vulnerable (ie Group 6) you won’t ok your own appointment in the booking service but must wait to be coming tatted by the NHS.

This has been really useful. I was diagnosed coeliac disease 2 years ago, told to cut out gluten, but given no other information. I did not know it was an auto-immune disease before reading this thread. I have never been offered the flu jab or had any further appointments with the GP.

I was diagnosed after having a blood test which came out sky-high for coeliac disease. The GP offered an endoscopy to confirm it, but my mum had had an endoscopy a month earlier that damaged her vocal cord and she could barely speak after that. She passed away a few weeks later, never regaining her voice, so I could not face the endoscopy as the sky-high blood test confirmed it in my mind.

Olympicfan, it will be important that your Dr has you register as having coeliac. If you aren’t officially registered then the alert to make you Group 6 won’t be against your name.

In the past, until you has the endoscopy you weren’t officially registered as coeliac. That might have changed, but it’s worth being sure.

@Olympicfan you won't be included in group 6 as the other poster has stated you haven't been officially diagnosed, that's why you haven't been offered the flu jab.

I've heard so many anomalies that I think the groups are almost entirely irrelevant now and it seems to depend on where you live (and possibly even which GP practice you're registered at from what's been going on round here).

@Olympicfan now is the time to try and get an official diagnosis. Normally they refuse to do this without an endoscopy but due to the pandemic I’m now hearing about people getting officially diagnosed just by blood test now. See if they’ll update your records.

Thanks, I will give my GP a ring. I am over 50, so will be done in the next month I reckon anyway.

How are coeliacs getting on with receiving the jab?

No word here yet...in Surrey.