Branislav Kunčak, Boris Pekárek
Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic autoimmune disorder with genetic background precipitated by gluten consumption. Recent epidemiological studies showed a high rate of CD throughout the world. Clinical manifestations of CD is extremely variable. In recent years, an increased incidence of atypical and silent CD has been reported. This is the reason why many of those affected remain undiagnosed. Undiagnosed and untreated CD is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Gluten-free diet is an effective treatment of CD with protective effect on the development of severe complications. On this basis the question of active screening of CD has been raised. There are insufficient data to clearly demonstrate beneficial effect of screening on asymptomatic population. Therefore mass screening of general population is not currently recommended. Systematic process of case finding focused on at-risk groups seems to be a valid alternative to mass screening. In this article authors discuss the issue of screening for CD.
Keywords: celiac disease, screening