Healthy Living

The Rising Prevalence of Celiac Disease

Liu's study

The discoveries made through Liu’s observations prompted researchers to dig deeper and further into the past. Using data obtained from blood tests conducted to young adults in the Air Force in 1950, and compared with samples corresponding to adults residing in Minnesota county, an increase in celiac disease prevalence was observed; while the former group had a prevalence of 0.2 percent, the latter demonstrated a 1% prevalence of celiac disease.

Meanwhile, in Sweden, an epidemic of celiac disease was observed between the 80’s and the 90’s, with several studies suggesting that over 3% of children would develop celiac disease at around 12 years of age. Luckily, this figure tapered down to 2% for children born after 1997.