Celiac disease affects children and adults in all parts of the world. In the United States, celiac disease is more common among white Americans than among other racial or ethnic groups. A celiac disease diagnosis is more common in females than in males.

Who is predisposed to celiac disease?

Celiac disease tends to cluster in families. Parents, siblings, or children (first-degree relatives ) of people with celiac disease have between a 4 and 15 percent chance of developing the disorder.

What populations develop celiac disease?

Both men and women are at risk for celiac disease. People of any age or race can develop this genetic autoimmune condition.

Why did I develop celiac disease?

Sometimes celiac disease becomes active after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection or severe emotional stress. When the bodys immune system overreacts to gluten in food, the reaction damages the tiny, hairlike projections (villi) that line the small intestine.