Prevalence of celiac disease among first-degree relatives of patients with celiac disease.

Objectives: Celiac disease, an autoimmune enteropathy that affects the proximal small intestine, is characteristically seen in people who have a genetic susceptibility to gluten sensitivity. Celiac patients' first-degree relatives are more at risk of acquiring the disease. The objective of the present study was consequently to determine the prevalence of celiac disease in a group of first-degree relatives of our patients with celiac disease.