NPR

No Need To Get Screened For Celiac Unless You Have Symptoms, Panel Says

A task force says people with no symptoms of celiac disease do not need to be tested for the condition, and that people who think they do have symptoms should see a doctor.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says there is not enough evidence to determine whether testing people with no symptoms of celiac disease provides any benefit for those patients.

Celiac disease, the autoimmune disorder that prevents people from digesting gluten, affects about 1 percent of the population.

But there's not enough evidence to recommend screening everybody to find that 1 percent, an advisory panel said Tuesday.

In people with celiac disease, eating foods with gluten inflames the lining of the intestine and makes it difficult to absorb nutrients. People who are diagnosed with the condition are told to cut gluten out of their diets entirely, which can be difficult and expensive, even as gluten-free products have become more

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