>Not true. It may be rarely diagnosed, but studies find an incidence of
>around 1:150. That is not rare.

Other sources:

"Celiac disease, also known as celiac sprue or 'gluten intolerance' is a
genetic disorder that causes bowel disorders, diarrhea or weight loss
because of an insensitivity to gluten. It affects approximately one in 30
people." - http://www.mercola.com/2001/aug/11/wheat_allergy_risk.htm

"Recent research in our laboratory indicates that immune sensitivity to
gluten is exceedingly common, present in 30-40% of all Americans." -
http://www.enterolab.com/

"Nearly one out of every 150 Americans suffer from celiac disease,
according to a new study by the University of Maryland Center for Celiac
Research in Baltimore. The research indicates that celiac is twice as
common as Crohn's disease, ulceric colitis and cystic fibrosis combined." -
http://celiaccenter.org/Facts.html

"The researchers tested diabetic patients at Children's Hospital of
Wisconsin for signs and symptoms of celiac disease and found that at least
4.6% of the children who participated in the study suffered from CD, while
even more had indicators that could be early signs of the disease." -
http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1009402816.html

"The only other US-based study of this type, performed in New York and
published in 1993, reported a 1.4% incidence of CD among the patients
studied. " - http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1009402816.html

"Celiac disease is the most common genetic disease in Europe. In Italy
about 1 in 250 people and in Ireland about 1 in 300 people have celiac
disease." - http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1009402816.html

"A recent study in which random blood samples from the Red Cross were
tested for CD suggests that as many as 1 in every 250 Americans may have
it." - http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/1009402816.html

Katrina.