Shahid Jamal, Rida Iftikhar.
Celiac disease in adults.
Pak Armed Forces Med J Jan ;66(4):600-5.

Celiac disease is the most important cause of malabsorption. Other conditions include tropical sprue, Whipple’s disease and giardiasis1. Celiac disease is caused by intolerance to storage protein gluten which is found in wheat, barley and rice. Initially it was considered to be pediatric disease but according to some studies, it is now being diagnosed more commonly in adults and elderly population2. It is defined as an exaggerated immune response to ingested gluten seen in genetically susceptible individuals1. It roughly affects nearly 1% of world’s population but according to new studies its incidence is increasing in different geographical areas partly owing to better diagnostic tools and public awareness3. It is associated with large variety of autoimmune diseases. This correlation is seen more in adult population.

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