[Diagnosis in celiac dis]

The work of Dicke, Weyers and Van de Kamer in the fifties caused a breakthrough in the treatment of Coeliac Disease. The pathogenesis of the disease however is still unknown in spite of great research efforts. Research nowadays is mainly directed to chemical analysis of wheat proteins and to immunological aspects of the disease. A close relationship to the HLA-system has been demonstrated. This article deals with the situation of the research and the consequences thereof for the diagnosis of the disease.