Celiac Disease Affects 1 Percent of U.S. Population

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Researchers from the University of Michigan Health System believe 1 percent of the U.S. population suffers from celiac disease, which left untreated can lead to cancer.

Celiac disease is characterized by severe, chronic inflammation of the small intestine from exposure to a dietary protein called gluten most commonly found in grains, including wheat, rye and barley.

William D. Chey, MD, director of the Gastrointestinal Physiology Laboratory at the University of Michigan Health System warns that individuals with long–standing, untreated celiac disease have an increased risk for developing cancer, primarily of the GI tract but others as well.

“When I was a medical student many years ago, we were taught that celiac disease occurred or could be found in approximately one in 500 to 1,000 individuals within the United States,” he said. “Data from within the last five years, however, show celiac disease is significantly more prevalent than previously thought. It can be identified in up to one in 133 individuals within the United States.”