Celiac disease, a serious digestive condition, is common in more ways than one – in how often it occurs, and how often it goes undiagnosed. The prevalence of the disease has increased significantly in the United States during the last 50 years, researchers at the Mayo Clinic recently determined.
“Some studies have suggested that for every person who has been diagnosed with celiac disease, there are likely 30 more who have it but are not diagnosed,” said Mayo gastroenterologist Dr. Joseph Murray in a written release. “And given the nearly quadrupled mortality risk for silent celiac disease we have shown in our study, getting more patients and health professionals to consider the possibility of celiac disease is important.”
Yet, among most of us, celiac disease is rarely discussed during checkups and isn’t a part of routine health screenings.
Surveys show that only 35 percent of primary care physicians in the United States have ever diagnosed the condition, which can cause cancer, neurological disorders, malnutrition and bone density problems if left untreated. People whose celiac disease goes unnoticed, in fact, have a nearly 4-fold increased risk of death, research indicates.
The problem is only expected to get worse, as “until recently, the standard approach to finding celiac disease has been to wait for people to complain of symptoms and to come to the doctor for investigation,” Murray said. “This study suggests that we may need to consider looking for celiac disease in the general population, more like we do in testing for cholesterol or blood pressure.”
Since celiac disease has a genetic component, understanding your DNA can help in this assessment. Knowing from a Navigenics genetic test that you have a genetic predisposition for the condition can make you more alert to the symptoms of celiac disease and assist your doctor in knowing when to test further for it.
Early diagnosis and subsequent dietary changes can make a world of difference. As one doctor, who only realized that he himself had celiac disease after a Navigenics genetic test, said, “It is amazing to me, at the age of 52 years, and being a physician, that my diagnosis and treatment was possible only because of your DNA test.”
DAN Oct 7, 2009
2 days ago my doctor told me that my kid has the celiac disease. i am searching the web for more information and i find this blog. nice post
i find another great article
http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/A-Family-Approach-To-Celiac-Disease/767622