Celiac Disease Statistics

With things like Celiac Disease, I am always skeptical when it comes to statistics. Statistics are supposed to be factual, but medical statistics are usually projections or guesses in my experience. As a result, I always take these types of statistics with a grain of salt, but at the same time, I feel they can offer some value.

There are a number of Celiac Disease statistics scattered all over the internet, but Mike of Switch 2 gluten-free did a great job of collecting these statistics in one convenient location.  Here are my two favorite statistics:

1 in 4,700 people is ever diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

• 97% of Americans estimated to have Celiac Disease are not diagnosed.
• The average length of time it takes for a symptomatic person to be diagnosed with Celiac Disease in the US is 4 years (11 years 6); this type of delay dramatically increases an individual’s risk of developing autoimmune disorders, neurological problems, osteoporosis, and even cancer.
• The average cost of misdiagnosis is $5,000 – $12,000 per person per year.
• Improving the time to diagnose Celiac Disease could save the healthcare system millions of dollars annually in unnecessary medical care.
• 60% of children and 41% of adults diagnosed during the study were asymptomatic (without any symptoms).

There are no signs or symptoms typical for all people with Celiac Disease. Signs and symptoms can vary greatly from person to person.

• Celiac Disease has over 300 known symptoms although some people experience none.
• Only 35% of newly diagnosed patients had chronic diarrhea, dispelling the myth that diarrhea must be present to diagnose Celiac Disease.
• 30% of the US population is estimated to have the genes necessary for Celiac Disease.

You can check out the complete list of Celiac Disease statistics here, as well as the sources of where they come from.