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About The Disease

What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is a chronic systemic autoimmune disorder induced by ingestion of gluten contained in wheat, barley and rye. The offending protein causes damage to the small intestine in genetically susceptible individuals. It is NOT:

a) Simply a food allergy.
b) An idiosyncratic reaction to food proteins.

Epidemiology

Disease Worldwide:
Celiac disease is currently believed to affect about 1% of the general population world over. Nevertheless, the true prevalence of celiac sprue is difficult to ascertain because many patients have atypical symptoms or none at all. The disease has been described throughout the world including Europe, Russia, the Mediterranean countries, North & South America, South Africa, India, Australia & New Zealand but there is little good data on the disease prevalence in many of these countries. It is rare among people from a purely African – Caribbean, Chinese or Japanese background. A decade ago the prevalence rates were quoted as 1 in 1000 or lower but the recent data based on serological screening from several European countries and North America suggests that the condition may occur in 1 in 120-300 of the population.

Disease In India:
Celiac disease was first reported from India in 1966 in both children & adults. With a lag period of almost three decades, there has been an upsurge in the reporting of celiac disease in India. We carried out an epidemiological study to evaluate the prevalence of celiac disease among school going children. Our study results revealed a prevalence of 0.3% (1 in 310) which is comparable to the disease prevalence in Western countries. Our study highlights the fact that celiac disease is not a disease which is confined to white population only but is practically universally present; though prevalence varies. We have observed that there is high prevalence of disease among the siblings of patients. In addition, we have reported that celiac disease is not uncommon among adults and a high index of disease awareness is required to diagnose the disease. On an epidemiological basis, CD is prevalent among predominantly wheat consuming states of North India such as Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pardesh, Bihar & Madhya Pardesh. Nevertheless, there are occasional case reports of celiac disease from South India. This apparent regional variation in occurrence of disease could be postulated as due to differences in genetic predisposition, differences in diet or both