Coeliac disease - a review of concepts and new

Celiac disease is a chronic enteropathy which continues to present a challenge for the clinic and for investigation, due to its atypical manifestations and etiopathogenic complexity. Studies in recent years in this area have led to the detection of silent forms, and the discovery that the real prevalence of the disease is much higher than initially supposed. The intention of this work is to review the clinical, epidemiological and physiopathological concepts of celiac disease, updating them in light of the latest advances by important research centers, particularly in the field of genetics. A schematization is suggested in the approach to the disease, based on the latest developments. A survey was carried out of articles in the Medline/Pubmed/ Medscape databases, and specific addresses on the World Wide Web for medical journals published in recent years, searching for review articles and research works on celiac disease. A literature review was also carried out of national articles in the Index Revistas Nacionais Portuguesas, and an analysis of text books and the register of conclusions of scientific congresses on celiac disease.