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Article: Celiac disease is often underdiagnosed.(Shorts)(Report)
- Article from:
- Townsend Letter
- Article date:
- October 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 The Townsend Letter Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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About 1 in 133 Americans has celiac disease, but fewer than 5% were diagnosed in 2003. Many practitioners believe that the condition is a childhood disease; but traumatic events, viral infection, and pregnancy can activate it in adults. Underdiagnosis is the norm, partly because national guidelines encourage practitioners to make a diagnosis based on symptoms. More times than not, these lead to a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome or spastic colon. Neither of these conditions has a definite, successful treatment. Celiac disease, however, does: avoid gluten. In genetically susceptible people, gluten sets off an immune response in the small intestine that eventually ...