EMA ANTIBODIES IN DETECTION OF SILENT CEL IAC-DISEASE AMONG FIRST-DEGREE RELATIVES OF PATIENTS WITH CELIAC-DISEASE

Coeliac disease (CD) may be present either in asymptomatic patients (s ilent CD) as well inpatients with non-specific signs. To detect CD amo ng first-degree relatives of known coeliac patients, antiendomysium an tibodies (EMA) were measured in 121 first-degree relatives of 37 patie nts vith coeliac disease (CD) and were elevated in 4/120 (3.3%). Jejun al biopsy performed in these 4 EMA positive subjects showed villus atr ophy compatible with CD. Three of them had both AGA and EMA positivity , while the forth (mother of one coeliac patient) was positive only fo r EMA. The percentage of asymptomatic cases (3.3%) was different from other studies but these differences are not statistically significant, as they are included in the 95% Confidence interval of the mean of av ailable studies.