20 Things You Might Not Know About Celiac Disease

Last Updated: January 13, 2022

1. Celiac disease is a chronic autoimmune disease, which means that you cannot “grow out” of it.
2. 1 in 100 people worldwide have celiac disease.
3. Celiac disease affects an estimated three million Americans.
4. Approximately 60-70% of Americans with celiac disease are not diagnosed and are needlessly suffering.
5. People with a first degree relative with celiac disease have a 1 in 10 chance of developing celiac disease themselves.
6. More children have celiac disease than Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, and Cystic Fibrosis combined.
7. Celiac disease can affect every organ in your body.
8. Lifelong adherence to the gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease.

9. Approximately 50% of diagnosed patients still report symptoms while on a gluten-free diet.
10. There is an average delay of 6-10 years for an accurate celiac disease diagnosis.
11. Without a timely diagnosis, celiac disease can lead to intestinal cancers, type 1 diabetes, osteoporosis, thyroid disease, multiple sclerosis, anemia, infertility and miscarriage, epilepsy, and more.
12. There are more than 200 symptoms associated with celiac disease.

13. Many people with celiac disease are asymptomatic, meaning they don’t experience any external symptoms at all. However, everyone with celiac disease is still at risk for long-term complications.
14. Celiac disease can develop at any age after people start eating foods or medications that contain gluten.
15. The later the age of celiac disease diagnosis, the greater the chance of developing another autoimmune disorder.
16. There are two steps to being diagnosed with celiac disease: the blood test and the endoscopy.

17. People with celiac disease have an increased incidence of microscopic colitis and inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis).
18. People with celiac disease may have lactose and/or fructose intolerance, both of which can be diagnosed by a hydrogen breath test.
19. People recently diagnosed with celiac disease are commonly deficient in fiber, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, folate, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B₁₂, and vitamin D.
20. Any food product that is labeled “gluten-free” cannot contain more than 20 parts per million of gluten, which is the safe threshold of gluten consumption for people with celiac disease.