Celiac Disease

Abstract

Celiac disease is one of the common causes of malabsorption during infancy and childhood. The lesions of the small intestinal mucosa are secondary to a permanent intolerance to gluten. The symptoms are not related to the degree of mucosal pathology but to the extent of the mucosal lesion. During the last decade significant changes have occurred in our concepts of celiac disease. Extraintestinal manifestations of celiac disease have been increasingly recognized, and the strict association with diseases recognized as autoimmune disorders is well established. There is evidence that a strict gluten-free diet is protective against the complications of celiac disease; hence it is important that even the subclinical forms be diagnosed early. Small bowel biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis of celiac disease; however antibody tests are useful adjunct in deciding whom to biopsy and for screening groups at risk before initiating a lifelong gluten-free diet.