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Read the below and pray for something to be done  about it. If they did a su
rvey of the adult  Gastroenterologist it  would probably be just as pathetic. 
No wonder there is such confusion for the  patients and parents of patients.:


Press ReleaseSource: Epocrates,  Inc.

Pediatric Gastroenterologists Release Survey Results on Celiac  Disease 
Awareness
Tuesday March 29, 6:00 am ET 
- Physician Survey Shows  Need for Education About Diagnosis and Symptoms 
FLOURTOWN, Pa. and SAN  MATEO, Calif., March 29 /PRNewswire/ --

The Children's Digestive Health  and Nutrition Foundation (CDHNF) with the 
North American Society for Pediatric  Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition 
(NASPGHAN) announced today announced  today the findings from a survey of 200 
pediatricians, family practitioners, and  endocrinologists revealing the lack 
of understanding about celiac disease (CD)  in children. The survey was 
conducted by CDHNF in partnership with Epocrates,  Inc., using the Epocrates 
Honors® Market Research Panel. 
The survey results  supported the clear and urgent need to promote awareness 
of the individuals at  risk, the associated conditions, the proper method of 
screening for celiac  disease, and the necessary step of confirming the 
diagnosis with a small  intestinal mucosal biopsy. 
Regarding the diagnosis of CD, only 16% of  respondents chose the most 
appropriate first line serological screening test for  CD, which is the 
IgA-anti-human tissue transglutaminase antibody. If the patient  has positive serology for 
celiac disease, the majority of the survey respondents  did not recognize the 
need to confirm the diagnosis with an intestinal biopsy  before starting a 
gluten free diet. 
"Up to 50% of individuals screened with  an anti-gliadin antibody test may 
not have celiac disease at all, particularly  if the person has atypical 
symptoms. The survey suggests that some people  unnecessarily are recommended a 
gluten free diet, while others at risk are not  being properly screened, identified 
and placed on a gluten free diet," said  survey co-author and CDHNF Celiac 
Campaign Scientific Advisor Martha Dirks, MD,  Sainte-Justine Hospital, 
University of Montreal, Canada. 
"It is also of  concern that the permanent nature of celiac disease is not 
emphasized by our  physician respondents. Less than 65% of respondents 
recognized that a life-long  adherence to a gluten free diet had to be maintained," 
added Dr. Dirks. 
In  terms of recognizing symptoms, two thirds of the respondents felt that 
they were  aware of at least three GI related symptoms of CD and could correctly 
identify  short stature and iron deficient anemia resistant to oral iron as 
manifestations  of celiac disease. 
However, the survey also revealed there is a lack of  awareness about 
associated conditions with celiac disease. For example, an  average of 5% of people 
with Type I diabetes have celiac disease. However, less  than 50% of 
respondents were aware of the association and almost 30% of  respondents were against 
screening individuals with Type I diabetes. In  addition, greater than 75% of 
respondents were unable to identify the condition  NOT associated with celiac 
disease among a list of associated conditions.  
"The level of knowledge of celiac disease is not what we like it to be. The  
survey illustrates that clear educational initiatives are needed to promote  
appropriate testing of persons at risk for celiac disease such as the recently  
released NASPGHAN Celiac Guidelines, NIH Consensus Conference, and our CDHNF  
grand rounds program," said survey co-author and CDHNF Celiac Campaign  
Scientific Advisor Stefano Guandalini, MD, University of Chicago. Dr. Guandalini  
added that an area definitely in need to be better known is that of screening  
for family members of patients with celiac disease. "With an incidence higher  
than 5%, first-degree relatives must be screened for celiac disease, 
something  that is only sporadically recommended." 
The survey indicates the need to  provide medical professionals with as much 
information as possible about CD. As  a result, Epocrates has teamed up with 
CDHNF to distribute the CDHNFCD  guidelines, gluten free diet guide and other 
educational resources to over  140,000 medical professionals via their 
DocAlert® messaging technology which  will allow medical professionals to save the 
guidelines summary to their  hand-held device and request additional information 
via e-mail. 
"Epocrates  continues to focus on patient care and safety, and our members 
look to us to  provide the latest, most current information on drugs and 
diseases such as that  provided through this campaign. We are pleased to support this 
effort to promote  child health and wellness," said Kirk Loevner, Epocrates 
President and CEO.  
The NASPGHAN and CDHNF survey was conducted through the Epocrates Honors  
market research panel, which enables healthcare professionals to share their  
clinical expertise. Typically, this research consists of online surveys that  
take between 10 to 45 minutes to complete. Criteria to participate vary by  
study. In exchange for their participation, users receive an honorarium.  
Fifty-seven of the nation's largest healthcare market research companies conduct  
hundreds of studies annually by accessing the industry-leading Epocrates Honors  
panel of more than 121,000 U.S. physicians and 254,000 allied healthcare  
professionals including physician assistants, nurse practitioners, RNs,  dentists, 
pharmacists and others. 
About NASPGHAN and CDHNF 
The North  American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and 
Nutrition,  founded in 1972, is the only society in North America and the 
largest in the  world, dedicated to serving the Pediatric Gastroenterology and 
nutrition  communities. NASPGHAN was established to advance the understanding of 
the normal  development and physiology of diseases of the gastrointestinal 
tract and liver  in infants, children, and adolescents, and to foster the 
dissemination of this  knowledge through scientific meetings, professional education, 
public education,  and interaction with other organizations concerned with 
Pediatric  Gastroenterology and nutrition. Visit our website at www.naspghan.org. 
The  Children's Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation was established in 
1998 by  NASPGHAN. CDHNF is the leading physician source of information on 
pediatric  gastrointestinal, liver and nutritional issues. CDHNF is dedicated to 
improving  the care of infants, children and adolescents with digestive 
disorders by  promoting advances in clinical care, research and education. In 
addition to the  pediatric GERD education campaign, CDHNF also leads a campaign on 
Celiac  Disease. Additional information on CDHNF and its campaigns can be found 
at  www.cdhnf.org. 
About Epocrates, Inc. 
San Mateo, CA-based Epocrates is  transforming the practice of medicine by 
providing innovative clinical tools at  the point of care and deploying 
leading-edge technologies that enable  communication. The company has built a clinical 
network connecting more than 1  in 4 U.S. physicians, students at every U.S. 
medical school and hundreds of  thousands of other allied healthcare 
professionals with other healthcare  stakeholders. Epocrates' products have shown a 
positive impact on patient  safety, health care efficiency and patient 
satisfaction. 


Source:  Epocrates, Inc.

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