[Sprue]

Coeliac disease is an inflammatory disease of the small intestine. Coeliac disease occurs in individuals suffering from a genetically caused gluten intolerance. Mean clinical findings are malabsorption for several nutrients or steatorrhoe. Silent or latent courses are common. The diagnosis is based upon the histological finding of villous atrophy in duodenal or jejunal biopsies. Anti-endomysium-antibodies are of high sensitivity and specificity. After gluten free diet the coeliac disease improves. Gluten free diet has to be taken lifelong preventing complications i.e. osteoporosis and malignancies.