Celiac patients are often thought of as thin, white, rich, women. Not only is that stereotype changing, but it is also changing how people of different races are diagnosed with celiac disease.

More specifically, a study in of celiac disease in Alabama found the following:

• Nearly 5% of celiac patients in Alabama self-identify as Black
• BMI is significantly greater in Black patients
• Black patients with definite CeD were more likely to have negative serologies.

The last part is, for me, the most important. Most of the time, celiac blood tests are gating factors for an endoscopy and biopsy for celiac disease. This negative bias in blood test results could lead to missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis with something else. Link to study – https://loom.ly/DXcONsg

In another study, researchers looked at 817 paired patients. One group of celiac patients self-identified as white, non-Hispanic and the other as Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, Asian or Black/African American.

Compared to the Non-Hispanic White population, the minority group had a similar incidence of iron, vitamin B, and zinc deficiencies. The minority group had a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, anemia secondary to iron deficiency, inpatient hospital stays, and emergency department visits. Link to study – https://loom.ly/Cge7csU

All of this is important, because there are subtle but distinct differences in diagnosis between a white, non-Hispanic population and a non-white, Hispanic, Black, or Asian population.

Celiac disease affects all populations throughout the world. Maybe you can see yourself in these studies. Maybe you have a friend that is suffering and this may trigger you to suggest they examine a celiac diagnosis.