Celiac disease in the elderly

Abstract

It has become apparent recently that celiac disease, once believed to be primarily a childhood disease, can affect people of any age. Epidemiologic studies have suggested that a substantial portion of patients are diagnosed after the age of 50. Indeed, in one study, the median age at the diagnosis was just under the age of 50 with one-third of new patients diagnosed being older than 65 years. The purpose of this review is to address the prevalence, clinical features, diagnosis, and consequences of celiac disease in the elderly. The authors also review management strategies for celiac disease and adjust these with emphasis on the particular nutritional and nonnutritional consequences or associations of celiac disease as they pertain to the elderly.

Figure 1

Increased in the incidence rate of celiac disease in people older than 60 years of age over a 56-year period in Olmsted County, Minnesota (1950-2006); Incidence rate= new cases of CD per 100,000 person-years, adjusted to the US 2000 white population.