title: Epidemiology of celiac disease in iran: a review.
abstract: Celiac disease (CD) was traditionally believed to be a chronic enteropathy, almost exclusively affecting people of European origin. Celiac disease is the permanent intolerance to dietary gluten, the major protein component of wheat. The availability of new, simple, very sensitive and specific serological tests has shown that CD is as common in Middle Eastern countries as in Europe, Australia and New Zealand where the major dietary staple is wheat. A high prevalence of CD has been found in Iran, in both the general population and the at-risk groups, i.e. patients with type 1 diabetes or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In developing countries, serological testing in at risk groups is necessary for early identification of celiac patients. Clinical studies show that presentation with non-specific symptoms or a lack of symptoms is as common in the Middle East as in Europe. Wheat is a major component of the Iranian diet and exposure to wheat proteins induces some degree of immune tolerance, leading to milder symptoms that may be mistaken with other GI disorders. The implementation of gluten free diet (GFD) is a major challenge for both patients and clinicians in Iran, especially since commercial gluten-free products are not available in this area.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rostami Nejad
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rostami
authors.affiliation: Poursina Hakim Research Institute (PHRI), Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Mh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Emami
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mr
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zali
authors.affiliation: Digestive Disease Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malekzadeh
keywords: Celiac disease; Epidemiology; Iran