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There has been a lot of discussion about the prevalence of celiac
disease in North America. Knowing the number is important because the
greater the prevalence, the greater our level of influence can be on
food labelling regulations and research support.

Another aspect of the prevalence issue is, as pointed out so often on
this list, that doctors are often unwilling to consider celiac disease
as a possibility in diagnosis of digestive disorders because of its
perceived rarity. I am wondering how rare it is in babies who fail to
thrive or adults with persistent digestive disorders. Simple logic says
that patients who visit gastroenterologists are a self-selected group
and that the incidence of CD in that population must be greater than
that for the general population. So, if the incidence of CD is 1 in 250
in the general population, how high is it in those whose digestive
problems are persistent and serious enough to visit a
gastroenterologist. 1 in 100? 1 in 50? I don't know, but it would be
interesting to find out. Does anyone know of any such statistics?

Food for thought!
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Joel Elias
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