Gemma had started showing symptoms of celiac when she was around eight or nine months old and had begun on solid foods that contain wheat.

Gemma's mother, Mrs. Grech, said, "She went very quickly from being a healthy baby who was thriving to vomiting and losing a lot of weight - she dropped about two kilograms. She was wasting away".

After being referred to a pediatrician by her GP, Gemma was detected with autoimmune disorder known as celiac disease.

The disorder causes gluten, a protein that is found in wheat, oats, rye and barley, to drive the immune system to generate antibodies, which injure the lining of the intestines, leading to critical health problems.

Pediatric Gastroenterologist Associate Professor, Don Cameron, an adviser to the Celiac Society, said, "Not only can celiac disease cause very debilitating symptoms in children and hinder their growth and development, if it is left untreated it can also cause early-onset osteoporosis, liver disease, infertility and cancer in later life".

It is seen that due to lack of community and medical awareness, several children living with celiac go undiagnosed.

Don said that one in 100 children in this country is affected by celiac, but four out of five are not diagnosed.

Associate Professor Cameron said that we call it 'the hidden epidemic' since most celiacs are not identified until they are adults, while some are not diagnosed at all.

Mrs. Grech said that within a week of being diagnosed, she was a different daughter. Gemma, now three, is a healthy and happy young girl by adopting a gluten-free diet, which is the only way to treat this condition.