Prevalence and screening

A number of global studies have looked at the prevalence of coeliac diseaseA condition where a person is unable to eat gluten as it makes their body attack itself. in different populations. Evidence suggests that the average prevalence across Europe is one per cent (1). This makes coeliac disease one of the most common chronic autoimmuneA reaction to a trigger which causes the body to attack itself. disorders and is the most common cause of malabsorption in the UK.

Coeliac disease affects all ethnic groups, and is common not just in Europe, but also in southern Asia, the Middle East, North West and East Africa and South America (2).

Family

Coeliac disease does run in families but not in a predictable way. Overall one in ten first-degree relatives of people with coeliac disease will be at risk of having coeliac disease (3).

Screening

The NICENational Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence - an independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on promoting good health and preventing and treating ill health. NICE had produced a clinical guideline on the recognition and assessment of coeliac disease. guideline on the recognition and assessment of coeliac disease, published in May 2009, highlights that first-degree relatives are at increased risk of coeliac disease and should be considered for screening (4).

Whether or not screening should be carried out for coeliac disease is still a matter for debate. However, evidence suggests that identifying the condition in those patients who are more likely to have coeliac disease appears very effective in improving health and preventing complications (5).

Awareness amongst medical professionals video

References

1. Bingley PJ, Williams AJK, Norcross A, Unsworth J, Lock RJ, Ness AR, Jones RW. (2004). Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Study Team. BMJ. 328: 322-3

2. Cataldo F & Montalto G. (2007). Celiac disease in the developing countries: A new and challenging public health problem. World Journal of Gastroenterology 13(15): 2153-2159

3. Hogberg L, Faith-Magnusson K, Grodzinsky E, Stenhammar L. (2003). Familial prevalence of coeliac disease: a twenty year follow-up study. Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. 38(1):61-5

4. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2009) Recognition and Assessment of Coeliac Disease.

5. Mearin ML, Ivarsson A & Dickey W (2005) Coeliac disease: is it time for mass screening? Best Practice & Research in Clinical Gastroenterology. 19(3):441-52