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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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