Study indicates higher levels of coeliacs

COELIAC disease, a serious auto immune condition that can be caused by eating wheat, barley and other foods, may be more common than previously thought, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in the US.

The survey, conducted in Finland, shows that one person in 100 has the disease and, according to Dr Fiona Stephens, president of the Coeliac Society of Ireland, that figure is likely to be the same for Ireland.

"There have been no studies of this nature carried out in Ireland for years, said Dr Stephens, a lecturer in NUI Galway. The last study suggested the percentage was about one in 200 here but I believe new methods of screening would show that Irish people have a level similar to Scandinavians. We have the right genetic background."

Writing in the journal director of the University of Maryland's Centre for Coeliac Research in Baltimore Alessio Fasano said: "The prevalence of the disease and the burden of illness related to this condition, particularly if it is not treated, are so high as to potentially support a policy of screening of the general population."

However, Dr Stephens said she did not support general population screening here although Ireland has one of the highest prevalence of coeliac condition in the world. "The jury is still out on his issue. I think general population screening would probably be a waste of resources," she said.

Dr Stephens said she believed targeted screening of families with a coeliac sufferer and of those with suggestive symptoms would be more appropriate.

Coeliac is a disease in which the body's defence system attacks the small intestine and damages villi tiny fingerlike protrusions that absorb nutrients from food into the bloodstream.

The destructive mechanism is triggered by the ingestion of gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and other foods. As the villi get destroyed, people who are gluten-intolerant suffer from various degrees of malnourishment.

More than 40 symptoms could indicate the condition, including diarrhoea, weight loss, fatigue, bloating and joint pain.

The study of 3,654 students in Finland, ranging in age from 7-16, indicates that as many as one in 99, or about 1% of the population, are coeliac sufferers. The disease was discovered in research subjects through intestinal biopsies and testing for antibodies in blood samples.

Contact: The Coeliac Society of Ireland, Carmichael House, 4 North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7. Tel: [phone] or www.coeliac.ie