Under-performance of small bowel biopsy during endoscopy may be
a major reason that celiac disease remains underdiagnosed in the
United States, according to a new study published online
recently in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. Investigators at the
Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center
(CUMC) found that the rate of small bowel biopsy is low in this
country. “The vast majority of people with celiac disease in the
United States remain undiagnosed,” said lead author Benjamin
Lebwohl, MD, MS, assistant professor of clinical medicine in the
Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, and a
gastroenterologist and epidemiologist at the Celiac Disease
Center, CUMC. “This stands in contrast to countries in Western
Europe and Scandinavia, where patients with celiac disease are
much more likely to be diagnosed. Are patients with celiac
disease in the United States not seeking medical attention?
Actually, this study shows that some of these undiagnosed
patients may be coming to see a gastroenterologist