Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic disorder caused by hypersensitivity to some of the most common proteins (gluten) in the diet of the European population. CD affects as much as 1% of the Europeans (2.5 million people) and is the most common food intolerance in Europe. If recognised, CD patients must follow a strict diet of solely gluten free products and there is no causal therapy available.
The project is part of the multicenter European project PreventCD (from ‘to prevent coeliac disease’) and is divided in 2 studies: the population study, which was performed in Sweden, and the family study. This PreventCD website will mostly give you information on the family study. The family study of PreventCD is performed by 10 European countries and a total of 994 children are involved. The participating children have been followed since 2007.