Celiac Disease
History of Celiac Disease
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Celiac disease has been recognized for thousands of years, but our understanding of its cause, diagnosis, and treatment has evolved dramatically over time. From the earliest descriptions of chronic digestive illness in ancient Greece to the discovery of gluten as the disease trigger and the development of modern diagnostic tools, each milestone has helped shape the care available today. The timeline below highlights key discoveries and advances that have transformed celiac disease from a poorly understood condition into a well-characterized autoimmune disorder.
| Date | Discovery |
|---|---|
| 2nd Century AD | Aretaeus of Cappodocia, a Greek physician, describes a malabsorptive diarrhea affecting children. |
| 1888 | Samuel Gee, an English pediatrician, describes children who suffer from chronic indigestion and wasting and reports that the cure for this condition would be through diet. |
| 1924 | Sidney Haas, an American pediatrician, determines that carbohydrates are the culprit food in celiac disease and treats 10 children with a "banana diet." |
| 1930s | William Dicke, a Dutch pediatrician, notes that during World War II children with celiac disease improve when they lack access to wheat, further strengthening the relationship between wheat ingestion and celiac disease. |
| 1950s | Margot Shiner, a pediatric gastroenterologist, develops a biopsy technique to examine the small intestine and observe the pathologic changes in celiac disease. |
| 1964 | The anti-gliadin antibody was discovered. |
| 1980s | Celiac disease associated with other autoimmune diseases, including: thyroid, diabetes, and Down's syndrome. |
| 1990s | The genetic markers HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 are identified and the anti-transglutaminase antibodies are identified. |