Recognizing celiac disease on the basis of the various manifestations of the disorder is difficult. In a study20 of 228 patients with adult-onset celiac disease, it was found that 42 were diagnosed at age 60 or later. Seven patients with dermatitis herpetiformis were excluded, leaving 35 patients in the analysis. Fifteen of the 35 patients had been seen--with unexplained symptoms and abnormal blood tests--for an average of 28 years by their family physicians or in hospital outpatient departments before the diagnosis of celiac disease was made.

From: Detecting Celiac Disease in Your Patients by Harold T. Pruessner, MD
PMID: 9518950 Mar 1998


Over a 7 1/2-year period, 39 patients were diagnosed, 49% within the last 18 months of the study period. Fourteen patients (39%) had been referred to the hospital a total of 30 times with features suggestive of celiac sprue, yet without being successfully diagnosed: the delay between initial referral and diagnosis was 6 years in nine of these patients
How many hospital visits does it take before celiac sprue is diagnosed? PMID: 8835894