IGA ENDOMYSIUM ANTIBODY - A VALUABLE TOOL IN THE SCREENING OF CELIAC-DISEASE BUT NOT ITS FOLLOW-UP

Citation
Ra. Valentini et al., IGA ENDOMYSIUM ANTIBODY - A VALUABLE TOOL IN THE SCREENING OF CELIAC-DISEASE BUT NOT ITS FOLLOW-UP, The Italian Journal of Gastroenterology, 26(6), 1994, pp. 279-282
Citations number
29
Categorie Soggetti
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
ISSN journal
03920623
Volume
26
Issue
6
Year of publication
1994
Pages
279 - 282
Database
ISI
SICI code
0392-0623(1994)26:6<279:IEA-AV>2.0.ZU;2-G
Abstract
The IgA antiendomysium antibody was found in 99 of 100 consecutive pat ients with adult untreated coeliac disease, whereas IgA and/or IgG ant igliadin antibodies were found in 92 of the same patients. Twenty-nine of them, presenting with minimal, transient or apparently unrelated s ymptoms (subclinical presentation), were antiendomysium antibody posit ive, whereas antigliadin antibodies were present in 26. In 33 of them, we also investigated the relationship between circulating antiendomys ium antibody and the persistence of jejunal lesions after the institut ion of a gluten-free diet. Although 24 treated coeliac patients turned out to be antiendomysium antibody negative, in 17 of them jejunal les ions persisted. The present study shows that IgA antiendomysium antibo dy is a highly sensitive and specific marker for both subclinical and classical coeliac disease, but that it is not a reliable test in the f ollow up of coeliac patients.