Celiac Disease Rising, 1 in 100 Affected

ROCHESTER, Minn. - Celiac disease, a digestive disorder triggered by gluten in the diet, is over four times more common today than it was 50 years ago, according to a Mayo Clinic study published this month.

The study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, also found people who were unaware they had celiac disease were nearly four times more likely than people without celiac disease to have died during the 45 years of follow-up.

Mayo researchers say the condition now affect one in every 100 people, but experts still don't know why celiac disease is on the rise.

"Celiac disease has become much more common in the last 50 years, and we don't know why," said Dr. Joseph Murray, 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 increase in cases and the increased risk of death have led the Mayo researchers to believe celiac disease could be a serious public health issue.

"Celiac disease is unusual, but it's no longer rare," Dr. Murray said. "Something has changed in our environment to make it much more common. This study suggests that we may need to consider looking for celiac disease in the general population, more like we do in testing for cholesterol or blood pressure."

Dr. Murray says for every celiac disease diagnosis, there are likely 30 undiagnosed cases, including cases misdiagnosed as something like irritable bowel syndrome. He says the findings highlight the need for awareness among patients and doctors.

About celiac disease

In patients with celiac disease, the presence of a protein called gluten from wheat, barley or rye triggers an immune system attack, damaging the villi in the small intestine. Celiac disease symptoms may include diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, weight loss, anemia, unexplained infertility, loss of teeth or even premature or severe osteoporosis.

About the study

The Mayo Clinic research team tested blood samples at an Air Force base in Wyoming between 1948 and 1954, testing for the antibody people with celiac disease produce in reaction to gluten.

Researchers compared those blood test results with those from two recently collected sets from Olmsted County, Minn. One matched the ages of those from the 1948-1954 testing at the time of the blood draw, and the other matched their birth years. Researchers found that young people today are 4.5 times more likely to have celiac disease than young people were in the 1950s, while those whose birth years matched the Wyoming participants were four times more likely to have celiac disease.
 

Mayo Clinic Study on Celiac Disease
http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2009-rst/5329.html?src=email-release

Blog featured in FOX 9 story tracking developments in Celiac Disease:
http://thesavvyceliac.com/

Gluten-Free Restaurants
http://glutenfreeregistry.com/gluten-free-state-search.do?state=MN