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I am responding with comments about the elderly individual with celiac disease.
 
Quite a number of celiac are now diagnosed at an advanced age. Some as late as
the mid 80's.
 
The length of time they have been affected is unknown but in many there is a
long history of suspicious symptoms or medical abnormalities.  It is possible
that the CD has been there all along and just did not get bad enough to become
symptomatic or to produce symptoms that led to the diagnosis. there are some
cases of truly latent celiac disease where  the intestinal biopsy was normal and
then some years later the biopsy became flat.  Many of the older
patients may not entirely heal their mucosa.  I am unsure why this is.  I could
speculate that it is related to more compliance problems, or more poor re-
generation related to age, or the effects of lifelong exposure to gluten.
It may be a combination of these.
 
I certainly have elderly patients who become quite well if they adhere to the
diet.  The other issue is whether there is an associated lymphoma.
This can be the first presentation of celiac disease in an elderly person.
 
Not Medical Advice.
Joe Murray