An increased number of patients have recently been diagnosed with celiac disease, which you may know of as gluten sensitivity (OMIM 212750). It is a multifactorial disorder of the small intestine influenced by genes and environment, and it is characterized by malabsorption due to inflammation of the mucosa after eating wheat gluten or related proteins. It is now thought to occur in 1 out of 120 to 300 people. Genes found to be associated with it are in the HLA region of chromosome 6, namely DR3 and DQw2. Which of the following is more probable?
A)It is an autoimmune disorder.
B)It is caused by exposure to gluten in infancy.
C)It has high broad-sense heritability.
D)Its frequency varies greatly by population.
E)It is found primarily in inbred populations.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

C  D  Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder as it involves the immune system attacking the small intestine in response to gluten. It has high broad-sense heritability due to the strong genetic component, particularly involving HLA genes. Its frequency varies by population, with higher prevalence in certain ethnic groups.

An Increased Number of Patients Have Recently Been Diagnosed with Celiac