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

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR5 min read
A Woman With Failing Kidneys Receives Genetically Modified Pig Organs
Surgeons transplanted a kidney and thymus gland from a gene-edited pig into a 54-year-old woman in an attempt to extend her life. It's the latest experimental use of animal organs in humans.
NPR4 min read
130 Million Americans Routinely Breathe Unhealthy Air, Report Finds
Climate change is making it harder to meet clean air goals, says the 25th annual State of the Air report from the American Lung Association.
NPR3 min readCrime & Violence
South Koreans Sue Government Over Climate Change, Saying Policy Violates Human Rights
Plaintiffs including 17-month-old boy nicknamed Woodpecker bring landmark climate litigation in South Korea, the first in Asia to get a public hearing.

Related Books & Audiobooks