<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Dear List mates

I received some feedback from the list regarding which nationalities get
CD.  I thought that this would be an important study, especially if we
are trying to get the attention of both the medical profession and news
groups that might enlighten the public, restaurants, food manufacturers,
FDA and other important contacts.  The more prevalent the problem around
the world, the more important the need to bring it to light.

Although I only received around 20 responses to my question, from the feedback
that I received, I learned that it is not only
Northern Europeans that get CD.  People of all backgrounds can get CD
and apparently do, all over the world.  There were replies from people
of Asian, Middle Eastern, South and Central American and African backgrounds.
This would make our fight even more compelling as it appears to not be
an exclusive fight, but one of all nationalities.

I wondered why it was mainly European people who are diagnosed with CD.
This appears to be another misconception that surrounds CD. One person
responded that perhaps the medical profession is not finding it in other
ethnic groups because they aren't looking for it.  Just like those of us
who are overweight, they don't fit the profile.  If this is the case we
must work to change that impression also.

One person from Montevideo, Uruguay in South America reported that the
statistic there is 1 in 300, with gastroenterologists diagnosing more and more
people every day.

Some people believe that we have so many ethnic mixes in the USA that
European ancestry may be the cause, but from other posts, people
believe that they have no known European Ancestry.

One post told the following interesting story:

I believe you are also correct that the low incidence among Asians is due
to their utilization of rice for their primary starch.  One exception to
the low incidence in Asians is the natives of the Punjab area of India.
Part of their diet consists of a homemade bread type product similar to a
thick tortilla.  It is called "Clatoufis".  Most of the year this is made
from millet or corn.  In the summer, it is made from wheat flour.  There is
a common affliction in that area called "summer diarrhea" that appears,
naturally, in the summer.  This has been traced to the gluten contained in
the clatoufis eaten in that season and is  a celiac response.  The symptoms
disappear when the summer season and the use of wheat flour ends.

Others voiced the theory about blood types, stating that those who have
type O blood are more prone to be unable to tolerate grains.  Type O is
the most common and oldest blood type.  I have type O so I would fit
that criteria, but my daughter with CD has Type B.

If those on the list who have CD and are not of Northern European
ancestry would make their voices heard, it would help everyone develop
a better understanding of the disease.

Thanks to all for the information.  Perhaps when writing to news groups
for publicity, we should not limit the scope of CD to only Northern
Europeans.  Does anyone else have any opinions?