Essentially all of our UK forum participants who are in the process of a celiac disease diagnosis report that after their blood antibody testing is done, they have to wait many months to get the endoscopy/biopsy for confirmation. My impression is that the UK/European health care models do great at addressing routine healthcare needs but poorly at specialty healthcare needs.

I think both systems have merits and faults, but in my opinion no citizen of any country should be denied health care, and it should be a basic human right, no matter your income.

I want to stand up for the NHS! Yes, it has its issues, but after moving from the U.S. a few years ago, it’s been a real eye-opener to see just how much better the NHS is compared to the American healthcare system. For example, I can call my GP in the morning and often get an appointment that same day. Healthcare is provided to all UK residents, free at the point of use, no matter your income or job status. That’s a massive relief. In the U.S., people regularly go bankrupt because of medical bills—it’s one of the leading causes of financial ruin. Here, that just doesn’t happen. Plus, the UK consistently reports lower infant mortality rates and higher life expectancy compared to the U.S. No system is perfect, but the NHS deserves recognition for what it does right—and that’s a lot.  

I developed a heart arrhythmia and on several occasions had to wear a 24 hour Holter monitor. Among other things, I had premature atrial complexes (PACs) and occasional AFib. I was very fit at the time, running and cycling. This completely disappeared following my diagnosis and following a strict gluten free diet. I haven't had a single episode since, in 4 years.

Testing for celiac disease, whether blood antibody testing or biopsy procedure, will likely be invalidated when the gluten consumption has been discontinued ahead of the testing or the procedure for more than a couple of weeks or so. For the person with celiac disease, the consumption of gluten results in the production of specific antibodies that can be detected in the blood because the immune system is attacking the gluten as it comes in contact with the small bowel lining. The blood testing is designed to detect these antibodies. Over time, the inflammation wears down the villi that line the small bowel. The biopsy is designed to spot this damage to the lining. When gluten consumption is discontinued, these processes cease. Antibodies begin to disappear from the blood and the villi begins to rebuild. Many people begin to experiment with the gluten free diet before they seek testing and their doctors often neglect to check for this before ordering blood tests and biopsies.  If you want to be sure that you don't have celiac disease, you would need to endure a "gluten challenge" for a period of weeks. This would consist of resuming gluten consumption in the amount of at least 10g daily (the equivalent of about 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for at least two weeks and then get retested or re-biopsied. But regardless of whether you have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) the antidote is the same: total abstinence from gluten for life.