Celiac Disease and Gluten: Multidisciplinary Challenges and Opportunities

Research on celiac disease (CD) has progressed enormously over the last two decades with an explosion of new information. Evidence for this tremendous increase is provided by a literature search using the electronic databases MEDLINE and CAplus and “celiac disease” as MeSH terms, which yielded 260 references in 1990 and 1045 in 2012. In addition to more widespread awareness and improved diagnostic tools leading to earlier and more accurate recognition of CD, a rise of gluten-related disorders has contributed to this surge of research activity in multiple disciplines. Not only are physicians, pediatricians, pathologists, immunologists, gastroenterologists, neurologists, dermatologists, gynecologists, and pharmacists involved from the medical side, but also are analytical and food chemists, food technologists, cereal breeders, and genetic engineers from the cereal side and lawyers from the legal side. Due to the complexity of CD and the exceptionally high number of publications, experts in one discipline may find it difficult to keep track of recent developments in other disciplines.
To fill this gap, this book aims to provide a unique, comprehensive overview of the multidisciplinary approaches to all essential aspects related to CD. History, epidemiology, genetics, clinical features, diagnosis, and pathomechanism of CD are covered as well as in-depth insights into cereal proteins. Legislation concerning gluten-free foods, novel treatment strategies, analytical methods for gluten quantitation, and concepts for future research complete the picture. Based on several hundred systematic reviews and original articles, the book reports up-to-date scientific findings and provides extensive opportunities for profound further reading. Thanks to the complete coverage of all scientific topics regarding CD, experts in one field may benefit from additional resources in their field and broaden their knowledge of other fields. Over 60 illustrations and tables help the reader understand complex features like the pathomechanism of CD and the structure of cereal proteins. Careful cross-referencing, indexing and a compilation of frequent abbreviations ensure easy navigation through the book.

This book will be a useful resource for medical practitioners and scientists, nutritionists, dietitians, producers of gluten-free foods, manufacturers of kits for clinical diagnostics and gluten detection, analytical and protein chemists, food technologists, and, of course, CD patients. It will also be interesting for hospitals, universities, research centers, analytical laboratories, and celiac societies worldwide.

We wish to express our thanks to Mrs. Irmgard Bauer for ordering countless papers that were not available online, to Mrs. Sabine Bijewitz for designing the illustrations, and to Mrs. Anneliese Stoiber for all her work with the preparation of the manuscript. We would also like to thank the authors, editors, and publishers who have allowed the reproduction of some of the illustrations included in this book.

Finally, we want to take the opportunity to thank the editorial and production team at Elsevier for their time, effort, expertise, and advice. We hope that this book will serve as a valuable basis of knowledge and as a comprehensive reference for all people involved in the fields of CD and gluten research.