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An analysis at PGIMS, Rohtak (Haryana) shows that celiac disease, long seen as a childhood disorder, is increasingly being diagnosed in adults and the elderly.
Of more than 1,100 patients diagnosed there over the past decade, 540 (49%) are adults or elderly, and 330 (30%) came with atypical symptoms.
The atypical symptoms include anaemia, infertility, neurological and psychiatric problems, dental defects and menstrual irregularities, which can delay diagnosis.
Celiac disease affects about 1% of people in India and is reported more often in wheat-eating northern states such as Haryana. The only treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet.
Carried out the analysis through its Department of Medical Gastroenterology, headed by Dr Parveen Malhotra
Prelims > Science > Human diseases (autoimmune disorders)
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.
A protein in wheat, barley and rye that triggers celiac disease.