PHILADELPHIA – Do you have patients with undiagnosed celiac disease or legitimate gluten sensitivity, or are they self-diagnosing with the need to steer clear of gluten, only to find themselves in danger of nutritional deficiencies and other health concerns?
Of the roughly 1% of Americans who have celiac disease, only about 17% ever receive a diagnosis, leaving the remainder at risk for serious health complications, according to Dr. Peter H.R. Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, New York.
Meanwhile, many people choose to go gluten free, which Dr. Green calls the most popular “fad” diet in the country. Aside from this trend being more expensive, and often inconvenient, it’s also a health risk. “It’s ironic that so many people who should be on a gluten-free diet aren’t, and those who are don’t need to be, and might even be harming their health,” he said in an interview.
In this video, Dr. Green discusses how to determine whether patients have celiac disease or another diagnosis, and how to counsel those who do have the disease and those who don’t.
The video was recorded at this year’s Digestive Diseases: New Advances, held by Global Academy for Medical Education and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Global Academy and this news organization are owned by the same company.
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