Celiac Disease Making Inroads in U.S.
WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) -- Celiac disease, a serious digestive system disorder, has become far more common in recent years, a new Mayo Clinic study has found.
According to a report in the July issue of Gastroenterology, the disease is four times more prevalent in the United States today than in the 1950s. In addition, the researchers found that the death rate was four times higher during the 45 years of the study among people who had the disease but did not know it than it was among those who did not have celiac disease.
"Celiac disease has become much more common in the last 50 years, and we don't know why," said Dr. Joseph Murray, a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist who led the study. "It now affects about 1 in 100 people."
Celiac disease is caused by an intolerance to gluten in wheat, barley and rye. An autoimmune reaction damages the small intestine and can cause severe diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, weight loss, anemia, unexplained infertility, loss of teeth and even premature or severe osteoporosis. Treatment is mainly a lifelong adherence to a diet free of gluten, a protein.
The Mayo researchers tested blood samples gathered at Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming between 1948 and 1954.
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