Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder characterized by an intolerance to the protein gluten that is found in wheat, barley, and rye, is on the rise, especially in older Americans. Cases of the disease have doubled every 15 years since 1974.
Researchers don’t know what causes a person to develop celiac disease, but genetics and the environment seem to be factors.
In order to understand the condition better, researchers from the United States and Italy studied the blood of more than 3,500 adults. HealthDay reports they found that those who had blood markers for the disease rose steadily from one in 501 in 1974 to one in 219 by 1989.
They discovered that the rate of celiac disease rose as people got older and appeared to be two-and-a-half times more common in the elderly than the general population. This finding contradicts the long-held belief that gluten intolerance has its roots in childhood.
"You're not necessarily born with celiac disease," lead author Dr. Carlo Catassi of the Universita Politecnica delle Marche in Ancona, Italy, said in a University of Maryland news release. "Our findings show that some people develop celiac disease quite late in life."
Symptoms of celiac disease can include diarrhea, stomach cramps, and intestinal bloating.
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