"celiac's" Disease?

[Coolclimates]

I often notice people referring to Celiac Disease as "Celiac's Disease." Is this incorrect? As far as I know, the term "Celiac" is a medical condition, not the name of a person as some diseases are called (for example Parkinson's disease). So why then do so many people say "Celiac's"? Is it just pure ignorance? I'm not sure if this is the correct thread to post this in, but I'm not sure where else I would post such a question.

[psawyer]

The apostrophe is incorrect. The proper name of the condition is "celiac disease." The term "celiac" is sometimes used as a noun to refer to a person who has the disease.

[Coolclimates]

then why do so many people (including those who have Celiac disease) use the term "Celiac's"? Is there just a lot of ignorance or what's the deal?

[lovegrov]

I wouldn't refer to it as "ignorance" -- they just have it wrong or it might be a regional way of talking. I've always thought it strange when folks say they have "the sugar diabetes" or they "caught" a heart attack, but those are expressions I hear.

ricahrd

[Skylark]

Just a lot of ignorance. The word celiac derives from the ancient Greek word for abdomen or bowels so it would translate to "abdominal disease" or "bowel disease". People who write Celiac's Disease or celiacs don't know the origin of the word so they don't realize how silly it sounds. It would be like writing Abdominal's Disease.

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I use "celiacs" as a plural when I am talking about many people with celiac disease - I think it's common usage though I don't know whether it is strictly correct.

I don't mind it on the board but I find it very irritating when news articles get the word wrong. I sometimes see celiacs or the even more egregious celiac's rather than celiac and that's just sloppy for a professional journalist. I am a confessed grammar cop and was also deeply irritated when politicians started pronouncing nuclear incorrectly.

[Coolclimates]

I agree. I can't stand it. It just sounds ignorant and uninformed to me. I don't mean to sound like a snob, but it really bothers me. Especially when people that actually have the disease talk like this. I know I don't always use correct English or terminology but for something this major, it just really irks me. Especially in medical articles.

[Skylark]

I haven't noticed Celiac's in the peer-reviewed literature. I have seen it in amateur medical writing in blogs and whatnot. It's when NBC gets it wrong that I have an apoplexy attack.

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