The History of Celiac

Ever since I was little, I've joked that I'm the worst Italian because of my celiac disease. Ironically, what many people don't realize is that celiac disease was actually first identified in Italy. In 2008, archaeologists discovered the remains of a 20-year-old woman from 1-100 AD in Cosa, Italy. Her skeleton showed signs of malnutrition and failure to thrive, classic indicators of undiagnosed celiac disease. Genetic analysis also revealed she carried the celiac gene known as HLA-DQ2.5.

The term "celiac" comes from a Greek physician who, between 101 and 200 AD, described the disease as "koiliakos," derived from the Greek word "koelia," meaning abdomen. He wrote, "If the stomach be irretentive of food and if it passes through undigested and crude, nothing ascends into the body; we call such persons coeliacs" (Aretaeus of Cappadocia - Beyond Celiac).

Throughout the years after that, celiac continued to be studied and treated with multiple different diets, such as a rice-based diet or a banana-based based. Doctors recognized that the disease could only be treated through diet, but were unsure as to what triggered the symptoms. Dr. Sidney Haas used the banana-based diet for treatments, but then had patients go back to eating gluten afterward, which continued to damage the small intestine.

It was not until the 1940s that Dr. William Dicke noticed the mortality rate for celiac disease decreased during the Dutch Famine, when bread became unavailable. He then realized that wheat is the main cause of the disease. In 1952, it was published that wheat and rye are the main issues for those suffering from celiac disease.

To sum it up, the gene for celiac (HLA-DQ2) was recognized as being related to celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis (skin rash as a result of gluten exposure) in the 1970s. In the 1990s, celiac disease was recognized as an autoimmune disease associated with the HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 genes. The blood test for celiac was discovered in 1997, searching for the antigen tissue transglutaminase (TtG) in celiac.

In summary, celiac disease was first discovered in Cosa, Italy. Italy is one of the best countries for celiac disease due to high public awareness, strict government regulations on food allergies, and training to offer the best certified free options.