From Dr. Peter H. R. Green, internationallyrenowned expert on celiac disease and director of the Celiac Disease Center atColumbia University, and medical author Rory Jones, an updated fourthedition of the definitive book on celiac disease, one of the mostunderdiagnosed autoimmune diseases in the U.S. CeliacDisease: A Hidden Epidemic is anindispensable guidebook for anyone with celiac disease as well as for those with gluten intolerance or food sensitivities on a gluten-free diet. Since the last editionin 2016, scientific advances have changed what we know about the disease, howit is diagnosed and treated, and the long-term effect of a gluten-free diet on the brainand body.Celiacdisease is a hereditary autoimmune condition that damages the lining of thesmall intestine so that it cannot properly absorb food. Without essentialnutrients, the entire body begins to suffer. The disease is triggered bygluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. The only "cure" for thedisease is a life-long gluten-free diet. The disease affects nearly 1 in every100 people in the United States--50 percent of whom remainundiagnosed and untreated. Although the primary target of injury is the smallintestine, CD can and often does affect the entire body. Complications from thedisease can include infertility, liver disease, osteoporosis, anemia, and otherautoimmune diseases (such as Type 1 diabetes and Thyroid disease), neurologicalconditions, and even cancer. This updated fourth edition includes the latest information on CD, gluten intolerance, and gluten sensitivity. The important updates covereverything from new testing devices to advances in therapies that may helpprevent gluten from entering and/or harming the intestines, to new research onthe long-term effect of the gluten-free diet on our minds and bodies. And more!