What is Celiac Disease?

What is Celiac Disease?

• Celiac Disease: Digestive intolerance to gluten in the diet.
• Celiac Disease: A malabsorption syndrome that is precipitated by the ingestion of GLUTEN-containing foods, such as wheat, rye, and barley. It is characterized by INFLAMMATION of the SMALL INTESTINE, loss of MICROVILLI structure, failed INTESTINAL ABSORPTION, and MALNUTRITION.
  Source - Diseases Database
• Celiac Disease: a disorder in children and adults; inability to tolerate wheat protein (gluten); symptoms include foul-smelling diarrhea and emaciation; often accompanied by lactose intolerance.
  Source - WordNet 2.1

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Celiac Disease as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet

Celiac Disease: Introduction

Types of Celiac Disease:

Broader types of Celiac Disease:

• Autoimmune diseases
• Digestive Diseases
• Chronic digestive diseases
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Under-diagnosed conditions
• Intestinal Conditions
• more types...»

How many people get Celiac Disease?

Prevalance of Celiac Disease: 1 in 250 Americans estimated rate; actual diagnosis rate is 1 in 4,700 Americans; 1 in 250 in Italy; 1 in 300 in Ireland; 20,000 diagnosed (Reader's Digest Feb 2004)
Prevalance Rate of Celiac Disease: approx 1 in 249 or 0.40% or 1.1 million people in USA [about data]
Undiagnosed prevalence of Celiac Disease: estimated 1 million undiagnosed Americans; more than a million (Reader's Digest Feb 2004)
Undiagnosed prevalence rate of Celiac Disease: approx 1 in 272 or 0.37% or 1 million people in USA [about data]
Prevalance of Celiac Disease: Celiac disease is the most common genetic disease in Europe. In Italy about 1 in 250 people and in Ireland about 1 in 300 people have celiac disease. It is rarely diagnosed in African, Chinese, and Japanese people.

An estimated 1 in 4,700 Americans have been diagnosed with celiac disease. Some researchers question how celiac disease could be so uncommon in the United States since it is hereditary and many Americans descend from European ethnic groups in whom the disease is common. A recent study in which random blood samples from the Red Cross were tested for celiac disease suggests that as many as 1 in every 250 Americans may have it. (Source: excerpt from Celiac Disease: NIDDK)

How serious is Celiac Disease?

Complications of Celiac Disease: see complications of Celiac Disease

What causes Celiac Disease?

Causes of Celiac Disease: see causes of Celiac Disease
Causes of Celiac Disease: Celiac disease is a genetic disease, meaning that it runs in families. Sometimes the disease is triggered--or becomes active for the first time--after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress. (Source: excerpt from Celiac Disease: NIDDK)
Risk factors for Celiac Disease: see risk factors for Celiac Disease

What are the symptoms of Celiac Disease?

Symptoms of Celiac Disease: see symptoms of Celiac Disease

Complications of Celiac Disease: see complications of Celiac Disease

Can anyone else get Celiac Disease?

Contagion of autoimmunity: generally not; see details in contagion of autoimmune diseases.

Celiac Disease: Testing

Diagnostic testing: see tests for Celiac Disease.

Misdiagnosis: see misdiagnosis and Celiac Disease.

How is it treated?

Treatments for Celiac Disease: see treatments for Celiac Disease
Prevention of Celiac Disease: see prevention of Celiac Disease
Research for Celiac Disease: see research for Celiac Disease

Organs Affected by Celiac Disease:

Organs and body systems related to Celiac Disease include:

• Intestine
• Digestive

Name and Aliases of Celiac Disease

Main name of condition: Celiac Disease

Class of Condition for Celiac Disease: autoimmune

Coeliac Disease, Gluten intolerance, celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, gluten-sensitive enteropathy

Coeliac disease, Gee-Herter-Heubner disease, Gluten sensitive enteropathy, Nontropical sprue Source - Diseases Database