WASHINGTON — A big change may be on the horizon for people with celiac disease. Their reliance on a gluten-free diet may one day become a thing of the past.
Currently, a special diet is the only way to treat the disease. Unlike people who choose to go gluten-free, for those with celiac, it is a necessity.
“People with celiac can’t properly digest gluten,” says Dr. Jennifer Lee, a gastroenterologist at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. In these patients, gluten — a protein found in wheat and a few other grains — triggers an immune response.
“It has been shown to really damage the intestines and really have a large impact on the quality of life,” she says, adding that while a gluten-free diet works well, it can be difficult to keep.
That is why potential new drugs for celiac are creating so much buzz in the medical community. There are several in the development pipeline that are performing very well in clinical trials.
“It is actually quite exciting,” says Lee, noting “they are promising results.”
These drugs work in various ways. Some help people with celiac break down gluten and render it harmless, while others mute the body’s response.
A review of the development process published in Gastroenterology Report says two drugs may enter large confirmatory trials in the not too distant future, and says the outcome of all the tests conducted so far has been encouraging.
Roughly two million Americans have been diagnosed with celiac disease, but Lee believes the number of actual cases is much higher. She says celiac is underdiagnosed, and as many as 80 percent of those with the malady have no idea that it is the source of their health problems.
