According to draft guidelines issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, there isn't enough evidence yet to say whether widespread screening for celiac disease makes sense, as reported by Reuters.
Here are five takeaways:
1. The draft recommendations, proposed by U.S. physicians, conclude that more research is needed on the potential health benefits of screening people without symptoms, particularly for individuals at increased risk for celiac disease due to diabetes or a family history of celiac disease.
2. According to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, about one in 133 Americans have celiac disease, and that fraction rises to one in 22 among first-degree relatives of people with celiac disease.
3. This the first time the USPSTF, a government-backed independent organization that reviews medical evidence, has weighed in on screening for celiac disease, and the task force will accept public comments until May 30 before releasing final guidelines.
4. Joseph A. Murray, MD, director of the celiac disease program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and an author of screening guidelines issued by the American College of Gastroenterology, said that while celiac disease can be detected with a simple, widely available and inexpensive blood test, an expensive and invasive intestinal biopsy is typically needed to confirm the diagnosis.
5. The most controversial aspect of the USPSTF draft recommendations is the lack of recommendation for the subset of people who have a close relative with celiac disease and for diabetics who are at an increased risk for the disease.