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Nearly two million Americans have celiac disease and according to a new survey by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, around 1.4 million of them don't know they have it.

Lead researcher Joseph Murray, a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, said this new research provides proof that this disease is common in the United States.

Celiac disease is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten, which is primarily found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and many other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. People with celiac disease who eat foods containing gluten experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage to the inner surface of the small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients.

About 1.6 million Americans are on a gluten-free diet, which is used to treat celiac disease, even though they haven't been diagnosed with the disorder, the study found.

"There are a lot of people on a gluten-free diet, and it's not clear what the medical need for that is," Murray said in a statement. "It is important if someone thinks they might have celiac disease that they be tested first before they go on the diet."

Researchers found that celiac disease is much more common in Caucasians and rare among minority groups and Murray said physicians are not doing a great job at detecting celiac disease. The study showed that physicians detect only one person for every five or six who have it.

Researchers found that the prevalence of celiac disease in the United States was 0similar to that found in several European countries. However, most cases were undiagnosed.

There are no typical signs and symptoms of celiac disease. Most people with the disease have general complaints, such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. Celiac disease may also present itself in less obvious ways, including irritability or depression, anemia, osteoporosis and mouth sores.

And if not prevented, the disease could be treated with certain therapies, though no "cure" has been found.

The Mayo Clinic study, which was published online July 31 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, was based on blood tests on 7,798 individuals ages 6 and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2009 to 2010. Scientists also conducted interviews with the participants. Evidence of celiac disease was found in 35 participants, 29 of whom were unaware of their diagnosis.