Stanford Celiac Conference Seeks to Educate Public, Patients on Elusive Disease

Business Wire, August 26, 2003

Lifestyle Editors/Health/Medical Writers

Stanford Celiac Conference

STANFORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 2003

The fourth annual Stanford Celiac Conference on Sept. 6 will provide educational programs for people of all ages and knowledge levels on celiac sprue, a mysterious and incurable digestive disease that causes gluten intolerance.

The daylong event at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center on the Stanford University main campus begins at 8:30 a.m. and is open to the public, children and health-care providers.

While celiac sprue is not well-known, even within the medical community, studies show as many as 1 in 133 Americans has the disease, according to event organizers. Symptoms vary -- ranging from weight loss, diarrhea, osteoporosis and growth failure in children to no symptoms at all -- making celiac difficult to diagnose.

Celiac disease has no cure; the only treatment is a 100 percent gluten-free diet. Often patients' symptoms disappear within days of eliminating the common protein from their diet.

In addition to lectures on living with celiac and updates on treatment, the event will feature a children's program, sample products from dozens of gluten-free food vendors, gluten-free snacks and meals, and an interactive panel discussion that allows participants to ask the experts questions.

Organizers also have planned a blood drive in conjunction with the Celiac Sprue Research Foundation in which people with the disease can donate blood to help further research into diagnosis and treatment.

Pre-registration is required. To register, call Janis Foss at (650) 215-1222, send e-mail to jfoss@celiacsprue.org or visit http://celiacsupport.stanford.edu.

Stanford University Medical Center integrates research, medical education and patient care at its three institutions -- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. For more information, please visit the Web site of the medical center's Office of Communication & Public Affairs at http://mednews.stanford.edu.