Mayo Clinic Study Indicates that Celiac Disease Prevalence has Quadrupled in Past 50 Years
Celiac disease,
an immune system reaction
to gluten in the diet, is over four times more common today than it
was 50 years ago, according to findings of a Mayo Clinic study
published this month in the journal Gastroenterology.
The
study also found that subjects who did not know they had celiac
disease were nearly four times more likely than celiac-free subjects
to have died during the 45 years of follow-up.
The research says the study findings highlight the need for increased
awareness of celiac disease, both among physicians and patients.
"Part of the problem is that celiac disease symptoms are
variable and can be mistaken for other diseases that are more common,
such as irritable bowel syndrome," he says. "Some studies
have suggested that for every person who has been diagnosed with
celiac disease, there are likely 30 who have it but are not
diagnosed. And given the nearly quadrupled mortality risk for silent
celiac disease we have shown in our study, getting more patients and
health professionals to consider the possibility of celiac disease is
important."