Celiac Disease can strike anyone, and while there is some research being done on this disease it is not well understood yet what mechanisms bring on celiac disease. There are several risk factors associated with this disease however, that will determine whether you may be susceptible to it.

Celiac disease is rare in Africans and Asians and most often occurs in Caucasians of North European descent.  Celiac disease also seems to occur most often in people with other autoimmune disorders especially diabetes, thyroid disease, lupus, colitis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Celiac disease also runs in families as most autoimmune diseases do. If a first generation family member has celiac disease it increases your risk from 1 in a 100 to 1 in 10 of having the disease sometime in your lifetime. Recent research has found a genetic risk factor for this disease as well, lending credence to it being passed on thru families.  Results of this test showed that a protective DNA sequence of a gene segment that was found in those that did not have celiac disease was missing in people with the disease.

People may harbor this inherited tendency to celiac disease for years. They may show no outward signs of the disease even though they may actually test positive for it. More and more people are being diagnosed with this disease based on their risk factors without ever having a single symptom of the disease.

Usually the disease, if not diagnosed sooner, will show itself after a period of major stress such as an injury, some type of infection, surgery or child birth. It is not yet understood why the disease will lay dormant and then activate itself after a period of intense stress but what is clear is the treatment of this disease. Removing gluten from the diet of a celiac patient brings rapid relief of symptoms and for most people the damage that is done to the intestines because of this disease heals quickly when the gluten free diet is adhered to.