Celiachia

About Us

The AIC (Italian Coeliac Association) was created in 1979. Its aims are as follows:
1. To help coeliacs, sufferers of Duhring’s disease and their families.
2. To inform medical practitioners about diagnosis and therapy.
3. To study coeliac problems, in close partnership with the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and Paediatric Hepatology (SIGENP) and the Italian Society of Gastroenterology (SIGE).
4. To stimulate scientific research in 3 directions: genetic, immunological and clinical.
5. To raise awareness amongst political, administrative and health structures.

Over time AIC has achieved important aims including:

1. Free distribution of wheat-free dietotherapeutic products for all diagnosed coeliacs by the National Health Service.
2. Exemption from military service
3. Creation of a network of restaurants aware of the problems linked to coeliac disease.

AIC is a member of the AOECS (Association of European Coeliac Societies). Since 1999 the AIC has been structured as a federation of regional associations. The 19 associations in Italy each have a delegate and make up a federal assembly. In March 2006 the Minister of Health published data that spoke of around 60,000 diagnoses in Italy and today the estimated number of diagnosed sufferers is around 75,000.
The quarterly “Celiachia Notizie” is the AIC’s official publication.