Celiac Disease: One of the Most Common Conditions You've Never Heard Of

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Celiac Disease: One of the Most Common Conditions You've Never Heard Of

Tuesday August 2, 3:00 pm ET

Hidden Epidemic: Millions Have It But Don't Know It

Disease Strikes 3 Million in U.S., More Than Alzheimer's or Multiple

Sclerosis; Yet 97% are Undiagnosed due to Poor Awareness. Lack of

Treatment Can Result in Type 1 Diabetes, Thyroid Disease, Lupus, Liver

Disease, Infertility and Cancer.

NEW YORK, Aug. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- 3 Million Americans have celiac

disease, but most don't know they are carrying a genetic auto-immune

condition that, untreated, can lead to serious health consequences

including Type 1 diabetes, thyroid disease, lupus, liver disease,

infertility and cancer. Despite these risks, only 3% of people with the

disease are being treated and most of those suffer 11 years before the

condition is correctly diagnosed. Why? Despite its prevalence,

physicians and the general public are relatively unaware of celiac

disease. Its symptoms, typically gastro-intestinal, can also include

rashes, depression or irritability, and osteoporosis, as well as tooth

discoloration, small stature, crankiness and failure to thrive in

children. The variety of symptoms, combined with lack of awareness,

often lead to misdiagnosis or no diagnosis, with serious health

consequences for millions.

While this lifelong disease has no cure, it can be effectively

controlled through diet. In fact, the only treatment for celiac disease

is the strict elimination from the diet of gluten, a protein found in

wheat, rye and barley. The prevalence of wheat flour consumption in the

U.S. makes sticking to the diet a challenge. Cross contamination of

gluten-containing foods with " pure " non-gluten foods is also an issue.

Once-simple activities like food shopping and eating out become an

ordeal.

Prevalence is Underestimated

Here is a comparison of the prevalence of celiac disease and other

well- known conditions:

* Celiac Disease affects 3 million Americans

* Epilepsy affects 2.8 million Americans

* Alzheimer's Disease affects 2 million Americans

* Ulcerative Colitis affects 500,000 Americans

* Crohn's Disease affects 500,000 Americans

* Multiple Sclerosis affects 333,000 Americans

* Cystic Fibrosis affects 30,000 Americans

Source: National Institutes of Health.

Things to Look For

Celiac disease can manifest in children or adults. It may be dormant

for years and can be triggered suddenly. And it can be a silent

disease, doing damage with no symptoms at all. How can you tell if you

or someone in your family might have celiac disease? Here are possible

signs:

* Gastrointestinal problems, including abdominal pain, indigestion,

reflux, vomiting, diarrhea as well as constipation.

* Irritability or depression

* Dermatitis Herpetiformis: a chronic, itchy skin rash

* Anemia

* Osteoporosis

* Infertility

* Chronic Hepatitis

* Particularly in children: crankiness, short stature, unexplained

weight

loss, dental discoloration, failure to thrive.

Other signs may be celiac disease's long-term consequences if left

untreated:

* Intestinal and lymphatic cancers

* Autoimmune conditions like Type 1 diabetes, thyroid disease,

rheumatoid

arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome (drying of moisture-producing

glands,

affecting eyes, mouth, skin, etc.), and primary biliary

cirrhosis, a

liver condition.

An initial diagnosis can be achieved with a blood test. Confirmation of

the diagnosis should involve an intestinal biopsy performed by

endoscopy.

Two Case Studies

Celiac disease runs in families. Two years ago Hawkinson's son

Caden was losing weight and wasting away. Finally, after a series of

fruitless medical tests and inconclusive diagnoses, the boy's mother, a

nurse practitioner, did her own research and decided to have Caden

tested for celiac disease. He tested positive. Since the condition is

genetic, the entire family was later tested. Caden's older sister and 5

adult members of the family also had the condition. They are all now on

a gluten-free diet and thriving.

The symptoms of celiac disease are not always the expected

gastro-intestinal ones. Sasha and Wade were concerned when their

son Luke's performance at school suddenly declined in first grade. He

seemed fine physically but was having trouble concentrating. He

withdrew socially and his grapho-motor skills, which had been fine,

fell behind. His teachers noted that he frequently seemed tired,

sometimes even falling asleep at his desk, despite having had a full

night's sleep. The family put Luke through many tests and psychiatric

evaluations and even considered Ritalin as a possible treatment for his

attention issues if symptoms did not improve. At the last moment, Sasha

took her son to one more doctor. Luke was ultimately diagnosed with

celiac disease. Once he started a gluten-free diet, he experienced a

dramatic turnaround.

Finding Gluten-Free Food: A Challenge For Consumers

Health food stores are the traditional source for gluten-free foods.

However, mainstream food retailers are catching on to the fact that

addressing food sensitivities is not only good customer service, but

also good for the bottom line. For example, Wegmans, a mainstream

supermarket chain with 68 stores in NY, NJ, PA and VA, carries

gluten-free specialty brands in Nature's Marketplace, its natural and

organic foods department. What's more, the company codes Wegmans brand

product labels with a " G " when the foods are gluten-free. These foods

are enjoyed by all Wegmans customers, but happen to be healthy for

people with celiac disease as well. The company keeps an updated list

of its foods that are gluten-free on its website. And it posts a celiac

meal of the week on its site, helping people on a gluten-free diet find

interesting meal options.

Ranked 1st on FORTUNE magazine's 2005 list of the " 100 Best Companies

to Work For, " Wegmans is committed to providing user-friendly products

for customers on a gluten-free diet. " We are happy to be able to help

people with this serious condition find healthy solutions. Not all

diseases have treatment options that are so clearly dietary, " says Jane

s, MSRD, Wegmans' Corporate Nutritionist. Colleen Wegman,

Wegmans' president, adds, " In making gluten-free foods readily

accessible to our customers, we hope to contribute to the good health

of those with celiac disease while removing some of the stress they

might ordinarily face while shopping for appropriate foods. This is

Wegmans' commitment to its customers and is central to our customer

service philosophy. "

Advancing Science and Public Awareness

The Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University was created within the

Department of Medicine in 2001. Its mission: to reshape the diagnosis,

treatment and awareness of celiac disease through biomedical research,

patient care, and physician and public education. Under the guidance of

founding medical director Green, MD, one of the few

internationally recognized experts on celiac disease in the United

States, the Center is the only medical school supported center in the

US exclusively dedicated to the study and comprehensive treatment of

celiac disease in children and adults. In November 2006, the Center

will host an international conference on celiac disease, bringing under

one roof the latest research and clinical practices from around the

world.

" Because there's a lack of knowledge about the disease and its symptoms

in the U.S., people are put at risk and suffer for years prior to a

correct diagnosis, " says Dr. Green. " We need to educate both the

medical and general communities about the signs of the disease, which

are more diverse than previously thought. Then we have to encourage

restaurants and food retailers to make it easier to find gluten-free

products. Early diagnosis and treating the condition with a gluten-free

diet can minimize the devastating effects celiac disease can have if

left untreated. "

Outside the U.S., celiac disease is often commonly recognized, and

gluten-free food easy to find. For example, Mc's in Helsinki

offers gluten-free Big Macs with a bun. In Australia, gluten-free menus

are available alongside regular menus in most restaurants. In Buenos

Aires, gluten-free ice cream is available and labeled as such.

To Find Out More

To find out more about celiac disease visit

http://www.celiacdiseasecenter.columbia.edu