Economic Impact of Celiac Disease

The purpose of this study is to find out more information about the total costs of celiac disease, also known as celiac sprue or gluten enteropathy. Celiac disease is a condition that affects the small intestine of some people who consume gluten, which consists of wheat, rye, barley and possibly oats. The small intestine is injured by gluten and does not function properly. This can lead to nutritional and digestive problems. These complications can impact the quality of life in those affected and lead to missed days of work and travel.

We are inviting people with celiac disease and people without celiac disease to participate in this research study. This project will last for approximately four weeks. If you agree to participate, you will need to come to the hospital once. The study will require you to fill out a questionnaire and keep a food diary and collect receipts for food items that you purchased and ate over a period of four weeks.

To qualify as a subject with celiac disease, you must:

Be undergoing routine follow up or evaluation of symptoms
Have a diagnosis of celiac disease confirmed with small bowel biopsy and positive serology

To qualify as a healthy control, you must:

Be a single patient buying groceries only for yourself or are willing to separate out food bills from others living in the same household
Have no symptoms frequently associated with celiac disease such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, gas or bloating, weight loss, constipation or any other gastrointestinal symptoms
Have no medical history of celiac disease-associated disorders such as type 1 diabetes mellitus, Down syndrome or autoimmune thyroid disease
Have no past medical history that includes a disease needing a specific diet such as diabetes, end-stage renal disease or congestive heart failure