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NIH Launches Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign for Health Care Providers and
Public
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced the launch of a
campaign to heighten awareness of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that
interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. The campaign stems from
consensus recommendations of an independent panel of experts convened by the
NIH to assess current diagnosis, treatment, and management of the disease.
“We now know that celiac disease is more prevalent that previously thought —
affecting nearly 1 percent of the U.S. population — and remains under-
diagnosed,” said Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., acting director of the National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the NIH
institute leading the effort. “Through the campaign, we hope to increase
physician awareness of the disease, resulting in earlier diagnosis and better
outcomes for celiac patients.”
Developed by the NIDDK, with coordination among the professional and voluntary
organizations working on celiac disease, the campaign offers materials and
resources for health professionals and the public about the symptoms,
diagnosis, treatment, and management of celiac disease. The campaign offers
fact sheets, booklets, practice tools for health professionals, NIH research
information, and resources from professional and voluntary organizations that
focus on celiac disease.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune response to gluten, a protein found in wheat,
rye, and barley. Symptoms of celiac disease range from gas, diarrhea, and
abdominal pain, to delayed growth, certain skin rashes, infertility, and
osteoporosis. Treatment for celiac disease is adherence to a gluten-free diet.
“One of the challenges with celiac disease is the vast array of symptoms
associated with the disease,” said Stephen P. James, M.D., director of the
Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition (DDN) at the NIDDK. “We are
hoping to educate health professionals and the public that celiac disease is
not only a gastrointestinal disease.”
For more information about the campaign or to download any of the campaign
materials, visit www.celiac.nih.gov. For more information about the consensus
development panel’s recommendations, visit
http://consensus.nih.gov/2004/2004CeliacDisease118html.htm.
The NIDDK, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), conducts and
supports research on diabetes; endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive
diseases, nutrition, and obesity; and kidney, urologic and hematologic
diseases. Spanning the full spectrum of medicine and afflicting people of all
ages and ethnic groups, these diseases encompass some of the most common,
severe, and disabling conditions affecting Americans.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research
Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for
conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare
diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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