By Jason Clevenger
Many people ask us why so many celiac disease studies are published by European researchers. It is a complex question with multiple answers. One is that celiac disease has historically received more attention in Europe. Another is related to the differences between the health care systems in the U.S. and Europe.
In Europe, centralized patient databases allow researchers to track the diagnosis and outcome of diseases throughout a patient’s lifetime. This branch of science, called epidemiology, allows researchers to make associations between life events and the probability of developing a particular disease. We will continue to follow and report research developments of interest from all over the world, with particular emphasis on the U.S. when possible.