Coeliac Disease The Presence in Wheat of a Factor Having a Deleterious Effect in Cases of Coeliac Disease

Summary Attention is drawn to the different effects of different kinds of cereals and starches on patients with coeliac disease. The effect of wheat flour is unfavourable while that of wheat starch is harmless. The harmful effect is produced by a still unknown substance and not by starch. The substance in question is provisionally called the “wheat factor.” The effect of this factor is judged according to its ability to produce or aggravate anorexia, vomiting, diarrhoea and steatorrhoea. Several conclusions as to the significance of this factor are presented.