Treatment of Adult Celiac Disease (Nontropical Sprue)

IT has become evident in recent years that nontropical sprue or so-called idiopathic steatorrhea is the adult form of celiac disease. A disorder of still unknown etiology, adult celiac disease is associated with the malabsorption of a broad variety of nutrients and substances by the small intestine. The defective absorption includes water-soluble as well as lipid compounds, and small as well as large molecules. In the absence of a specific test for this disease, the diagnosis in most instances rests on two criteria: the presence of a typical lesion of the intestinal mucosa; and the improvement of the patient on . . .