Health
Celiac awareness campaign launched
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 14, 2006
The National Institutes of Health has launched a campaign to heighten awareness of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. Resources are available for physicians and others online (link).
Celiac disease affects nearly 1% of the U.S. population and remains underdiagnosed, said Griffin P. Rodgers, MD, acting director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. "Through the campaign, we hope to increase physician awareness of the disease, resulting in earlier diagnosis and better outcomes for celiac patients."
People with celiac react to ingesting gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, with symptoms that include diarrhea, delayed growth, infertility and osteoporosis. Treatment 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, MD, director of the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition at the NIDDK. "We are hoping to educate health professionals and the public that celiac disease is not only a gastrointestinal disease."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/08/14/hlbf0814.htm.
