WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

*Ruaa Baha Aldeen Mahdi Al-Baghdadi, Tamara Abdel Wahab Rasheed, Ola Baha Aldeen Mahdi3

ABSTRACT

Background: Celiac disease is a lifelong systemic autoimmune disorder elicited by gluten and related prolamins in genetically susceptible individuals, with a global prevalence of approximately 1.4 %, The only available treatment is a lifelong, strict gluten-free diet. The study aim is to assess the knowledge of Iraqi physicians about celiac disease at Baghdad Medical City and association with their sociodemographic data. Methodology: A Descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out from the 1st of February till 31th of July 2024, including 358 Iraqi physicians at Baghdad Medical City by convenient sampling to assess their knowledge via direct interview questionnaire; The questions were divided into subsections on (epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up). Achieved scores in their regional knowledge analysis that varied among specialists, residents, and interns. Results: The majority of participants were female (60.3%), with age group was 30-40years, and the common source of information was from the book; overall knowledge was fair at 59.2%. Only 24.3% scored good, while poor stood for 16.5%. Pediatric specialists showed the highest levels of good knowledge, with 50% achieving this level, followed by family medicine specialists, with 37.8% showing good knowledge. In contrast, emergency medicine specialists showed a high percentage of poor knowledge, 47.1%, and none achieving good knowledge, highlighting significant differences across specialties (P = 0.0001). Conclusion: Physician knowledge of celiac disease was unsatisfactory, with notable differences across specialties. These findings highlight the need for targeted education to close knowledge gaps, improve early diagnosis, and enhance patient care.