Adult celiac disease - a common, significant health problem worldwide.

In India, as in most of Asia, prevalence is higher in northern states as compared to southern ones. Three factors may account for these geographical differences, including: a) a higher availability of wheat flour in some regions or countries because of historical or geographical reasons; b) a different distribution of known genetic susceptibility markers among the general population, mainly related to HLA-II, primarily subtype DQ2, which shows geographical, ethnical, and racial differences in worldwide distribution; c) a higher intake of gluten-containing foods because of changes in eating styles – regions traditionally with a rice-based diet have increasingly incorporated western-type food including a higher amount of products manufactured with wheat flour (bread and pasta).