[Celiac disease in children on the two sides of the Sound]

Of 771 children (381 Swedish and 390 Danish) investigated during 1972-1989 because of suspected coeliac disease (CD), 179 proved to have the disease. Surprisingly only 24 CD patients were Danish whereas 155 were Swedish, despite the very similar ethnic, geographical, and cultural backgrounds of the two populations. The Danish CD children were diagnosed at an older age (mean 5.5 versus 1.5 years). Breastfeeding habits were comparable. The estimated content of gliadin in the officially recommended diets of the two countries in 1987 differed substantially, the Swedish diet containing more than 40 times more gliadin than the Danish (4400 mg versus 100 mg) at the age of eight months, and four times more (3600 mg versus 900 mg) at the age of 12 months. Compared to the Swedish diet, the Danish infant diet contained significantly larger amounts of rye flour, which is low in gluten. The earlier introduction of food items with a high gluten content in the Swedish as compared with the Danish diet could be a possible explanation for the great difference in incidence and symptomatology of CD between the two populations.