here are which categories can request them – Corriere.it

by time news

The inability of an organism to metabolize, absorb and digest the most common food molecules, such as proteins, fats and sugars, can lead to severe disabilities, even compromising physical growth and neurological development. To allow these people one food therapy that saves from malnutrand from all its complications, public health care provides a range of diet products and so-called food for special medical purposes free of charge, that is, to be taken under the supervision of the doctor.

Who they belong to

To have the right, in addition to citizens with a diagnosis of celiac disease, i.e. an intolerance to gluten, and of herpetiform dermatitis, also linked to a hypersensitivity to gluten, there are those who suffer from hereditary metabolic diseases, characterized by a lack of certain enzymes (responsible for the breakdown and assimilation of food), those suffering from chronic renal failure and cystic fibrosis. The National Health Service also guarantees thickening preparations for people with neurodegenerative diseases (such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s) who have difficulty swallowing liquids or food. Apart from foods for celiacs, for which the Ministry of Health has set gods maximum monthly spending limits related to the age group and sex, for all other food products, the Regions establish the budgets for each patient.


Celiac disease

The gluten free products (bread, rusks, crackers, pasta, pizza, biscuits, cakes, cereals, flour) paid by the health service are exclusively those included in thespecial national register established by the Ministry of Health. Citizens with celiac disease can buy them in pharmacies, shops or supermarkets affiliated with paper or electronic shopping vouchers, which are credited each month on the health card (to which the ASL combines a pin to be used at the time of collection). To get the coupon you need a medical certificate certifying the pathology issued by a suitable facility.

Metabolic disorders

People affected by congenital metabolic pathologies can have alterations in the metabolism of some essential amino acids (as in the case of phenylketonuria, leucinosis and homocystinuria), contained in protein foods, or carbohydrates (galactosemia) or fats. To these patients, depending on the nutritional need, the Center specialized in Metabolic Diseases prescribes protein-free (ie protein-free) products, low in lipids and milk substitutes. To ensure a minimum supply of nutrients necessary for organic development, the diet is supplemented with food for special medical purposes, i.e. mixtures of amino acids, sugars or fats without the toxic substance for the patient, strictly dosed by the specialist on the basis of energy needs and which are also included in a specific national register.

Cystic fibrosis

People with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease that it also causes damage to the pancreas and therefore difficulties in digestion resulting in weight loss, they are entitled to receive caloric, vitamin and mineral supplements in the form of a drink (which are always part of the list of foods for special medical purposes). Dietary treatment in all these cases comes included in the patient’s therapeutic plan, to be presented at the pharmacy for free collection of products.

Kidney disease

People with chronic kidney failure need to reduce the workload on their kidneys following a diet low in protein, which can delay the progression of the disease and the entry into dialysis from three to seven years depending on the clinical severity of departure explains Luca Di Lullo, director of Nephrology of the Parodi Delfino hospital in Colleferro (Rome). To favor however an adequate consumption of noble proteins, deriving from meat, fish and eggs, the intake of the protein-free variants of all the other foods that normally contain proteins (bread, pasta, milk, sweets) is indicated in the therapeutic plan.

Oncological diseases

The loss of weight and muscle mass caused by cancer worsens the response and tolerance to treatment. Attention to the nutritional status of these patients is scarce and vary from region to region, screening and dietotherapeutic interventions despite the 2017 agreement between the State and the Regions on the guidelines regarding the management of specific nutritional pathways in oncology. Once discharged from the hospital, the patient does not have access anywhere to free oral nutritional supplements, which contain lipids, vitamins, minerals, proteins or omega 3, to supplement the diet. A right that is completely lacking in Lazio, Molise, Sardinia, Sicily, and partly in Abruzzo, Calabria and Puglia – complaint Maurizio Muscaritoli, Professor of Internal Medicine at the Sapienza University of Rome and president of the Italian Society of Clinical Nutrition (Sinuc) -. Sometimes it is necessary to compensate for the non-refundability administer food by venous route or with a tube in the digestive system.

May 26, 2021 (change May 26, 2021 | 17:35)

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