Prevalence of Celiac Disease in U S Rising Rapidly and Becoming Public Health Concern

The prevalence of celiac disease in the United States is rising rapidly according to researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In fact, the study reports it is four times more common now than in the 1950’s.

Senior author, Dr. Joseph Murray, said “Some studies have suggested that for every person who has been diagnosed with celiac disease, there are likely 30 more who have it but are not diagnosed.”

He also added, “And given the nearly quadrupled mortality risk for silent celiac disease we have shown in our study, getting more patients and health professionals to consider the possibility of celiac disease is important.”

Celiac disease is the intolerance of wheat protein (gluten) that results in symptoms such as frequent diarrhea and a sharp drop in weight. 

Dr. Murray and his fellow researchers warn the disease “is emerging as a substantial public health concern in the United States.”  

The Mayo study appears online in the July issue of the journal of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Alberto Ruio-Tapia, who also took part in the research, said, “The reasons for the increasing prevalence of celiac disease over time will need further study. The most likely explanation may be environmental.”

Stool Sample Testing Promising New Pawn in GI Cancer Detection

Stool sample testing is being lauded at the Digestive Disease Week meeting in Chicago as a promising new pawn in GI cancer detection.

Using a stool specimen, doctors may be able to detect colon and many other cancers of the digestive tract. Those cancers include stomach, pancreatic, bile duct and esophageal cancer.

The test searches for evidence of DNA changes shed from the lining of the colon and rectum. Cells from the surface of cancerous tumors and precancerous polyps show recognizable DNA changes or markers.

The test worked as well on early and late-stage cancers.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic designed the stool sample testing to be a noninvasive way to find colon cancer but they now believe it could be a promising pawn to detect the many other different types of GI cancer.