[A nationwide epidemiological study on celiac disease - the Icelandic picture.]

We undertook an epidemiological study of celiac disease (CD) in Iceland for the period 1962-1991. Twenty-eight patients, two of whom were children met the criteria for inclusion. The median age at diagnosis was 34 years, and the female:male ratio was 3:1. The majority of patients, 24 (86%), were diagnosed during the last of three decades studied. The annual incidence rate during the most recent 10-year period was 1:100,000. The point prevalence at the end of 1991 was 1:9,600. The incidence for children was 0.016:1000. The patients' geographical distribution within Iceland was uneven, with an unexpected preponderance of patients living in the country's north-eastern region. These apparent differences in topographical distribution may represent thoroughness in identification of patients rather than actual regional differences in frequency of the disease. The clinical features of CD are similar to those previously reported. Retrospectively analysed, the mean diagnostic delay was 16 years. The utility rate of small bowel biopsies in patients suspected of CD was low, 0.028 in adults and 0.013 in children.

Celiac disease is far less prevalent in Iceland, especially among children, than elsewhere in north-western Europe. The incidence of CD has, however, risen markedly in recent years.