Table 1.
Physician Diagnosis of Celiac Disease: Results of Patient Survey
| Diagnosing Physician | Patients No. (%) | Biopsy Confirmed No. (%) | Average Duration of Symptoms (months) | Average Age at Diagnosis (years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary care physicians | 265 (11) | 146 (55) | 10 | 46 |
| Gastroenterologists | 1,574 (65) | 1,386 (88) | 86 | 49 |
| Medical specialists* | 97 (4) | 55 (57) | 105 | 44 |
| Dermatologists | 89 (4) | 19 (21) | 36 | 48 |
| Pediatricians | 53 (2) | 28 (53) | 15 | 6 |
| Pediatric gastroenterologists | 200 (8) | 193 (97) | 14 | 5 |
| Nonphysicians† | 37 (2) | 0 (0) | 206 | 50 |
| Self-diagnosed | 91 (4) | 7 (8) | 214 | 52 |
| Not stated | 43 (2) | 13 (24) | 188 | 53 |
| Total | 2,440 (100) | 1,847 (76) | 86 | 44 |
*
Medical specialists: endocrinologists (35), allergists (19), hematologists (16), rheumatologists (10), neurologists (5), cardiologists (3), otolaryngologists (3), pathologists (2), surgeon (1), infectious disease (1), emergency medicine (1), radiologist (1)
†
Nonphysicians: chiropractors (11), naturopaths (7), nutritionists (5), homeopaths (3), kinesiologists (2), psychologist (1), environmental (1), oriental medicine (1), holistic (1), dieticians (2), alternative (1), biochemists (2)