Last month the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) asked the community to participate in a short, three-question survey titled Future Trends in Celiac Disease Diagnosis. NFCA had a terrific response to the survey and we thank you! Your interest and support were recognized at this year’s ICDS when Dr. Dan Leffler, Director of Clinical Research at BIDMC and NFCA Scientific/Medical Advisory Council Member, shared the survey findings at the 15th International Celiac Disease Symposium (ICDS) in his presentation “Diagnosing Celiac Disease in 2013 – A Debatable Issue.”

Here’s what we learned:

Participants included:

• 80.83% have been formally diagnosed with celiac disease by a medical provider
• 11.84% have not been formally diagnosed with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity but feel better on a gluten-free diet
• 7.33% have been formally diagnosed with non-celiac gluten sensitivity by a medical provider

Currently, a biopsy of the small intestine is needed to confirm a celiac disease diagnosis. Do you feel that the small intestine biopsy should continue to be a necessary part of diagnosing celiac disease?

• Yes: 46.24%
• No: 32.14%
• Unsure: 21.62%

Currently, celiac disease is tested when there is clinical suspicion of celiac disease by a medical provider or patient. Population screenings test all individuals in a target group, such as people of a certain age or with a specific disorder, for a specific disease as part of an organized program.

Do you think that the general population should be screened for celiac disease?

• Yes: 72.37%
• No: 15.41:
• Unsure: 12.22%

Thank you to all those who participated in the survey! To view the original post about this survey, click here.