Celiac on the Rise in the U.S.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder involving the small intestine. Sufferers of this disease cannot tolerate gluten which is a protein found in foods such as rye, barley, and wheat. When gluten is introduced to a celiac disease patient, the body responds by damaging the small intestine, primarily the villi. Essential nutrients are absorbed into the body by villi, and when this damage occurs, individuals may become malnourished despite the amount of food they consume. This genetic disease can have severe effects on the functioning of the body.

 Symptoms of this disease differ from person to person. The most common complaints associated with Celiac disease included weight loss, chronic diarrhea, persistent abdominal pain, anemia, gas, and bone pain, among many others. Diagnosis of this disease can often be difficult because the symptoms are similar to other disease such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic fatigue syndrome. The only treatment for Celiac disease at this time is to follow a gluten free diet. This diet is a lifestyle change and not everyone responds to this diet.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic published a study in the journal Gastroenterology investigating how prevalent celiac disease has become in the United States. The disease is four times more common than it was 50 years ago and that subjects in the trial who did not know they had celiac disease were nearly four times more likely to have died during the 45 year follow-up than celiac-free subjects. "Celiac disease has become much more common in the last 50 years, and we don't know why," says Joseph Murray, M.D., the Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist who led the study. "It now affects about one in a hundred people. We also have shown that undiagnosed or 'silent' celiac disease may have a significant impact on survival. The increasing prevalence, combined with the mortality impact, suggests celiac disease could be a significant public health issue." ¹

¹ Rubio-Tapia A, Kyle RA, Kaplan EL, et al. Increased Prevalence and Mortality in Undiagnosed Celiac Disease. Gastroenterology. Jul2009;137(1):373-374.