The Changing Face of Celiac Disease

The face of celiac disease has changed significantly over the past 50 years. With the advent of new noninvasive and more sensitive screening tools, it has become increasingly apparent that this disease presents in a heterogeneous fashion, with symptomatic disease only occurring in a small number of patients. Furthermore, great insights have been made into the disease's genetic and immunological components, thus increasing the medical community's understanding of the disease. The current gold standard for diagnosis is histological confirmation, and the cornerstone of therapy is lifelong elimination of gluten. Further advances in immunobiological techniques will most likely aid in earlier detection and commencement of the appropriate diet, thus preventing the development of associated complications.