Prevalence of celiac disease in risk group patients in Nizhny Novgorod region

AIM: To estimate prevalence of gluten celiac disease (GCD) in Nizhny Novgorod region by the data of examination of patients from high risk group. MATERIAL AND METHODS. Outpatient examination was made in 41245 outpatients. GCD risk groups included patients with chronic diarrhea and other manifestations of enteropathy, iron deficiency anemia of unclear genesis, with autoimmune disorders, skin diseases associated with GD, women with reproductive dysfunction of unclear genesis, persons with low body mass, close relatives of GCD patients. All the patients were examined conventionally. Antiglutenic antibodies (AGA) and/or antibodies to tissue transglutaminase (AB TTG) in IgA and IgG were determined and morphological tests of duodenal mucosa were made in patients at high risk of GC. RESULTS: Out of 41245 examinees 2364 (5.7%) were expected to have CD. Immunological tests were performed in 1045 risk group patients. Of them, 251 patients had elevated titers of AGA and/or AB TTG. Histological examination discovered GCD signs in 210 patients with positive AGA and/or AB TTG and in 101 patients who were not examined immunologically. GCD was detected in 311 (13.1%) patients included in risk groups. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of CD in adults with risk factors is 1:7.6, in outpatients--1:133. For active GCD screening in risk groups blood tests for AGA and AB TTG should be made. Those with a high titer of these antibodies and patients with chronic diarrhea and malabsorption should undergo biopsy material taken from the duodenum in esophagogastroduodenoscopy.     

Anti-transglutaminase antibody assay of the culture medium of intestinal biopsy specimens can improve the accuracy of celiac disease diagnosis

BACKGROUND: We measured anti-transglutaminase (anti-tTG) antibody in the culture medium of intestinal biopsy specimens from patients with suspected celiac disease (CD) and evaluated the relationship between antibody production and severity of intestinal mucosal damage. METHODS: We performed diagnostic testing for CD on 273 consecutive patients. In addition to routine histologic evaluation of duodenal biopsy specimens, we assayed anti-tTG antibodies in serum and in the culture medium of duodenal biopsy specimens. RESULTS: CD was diagnosed in 191 of the 273 patients. Sensitivity and specificity of the serum anti-endomysium (EmA) and anti-tTG assays were 83% and 85% and 99% and 95%, respectively, and both had 88% diagnostic accuracy. EmA and anti-tTG assayed in the culture medium had 98% sensitivity, 100% specificity, and 98% diagnostic accuracy (vs serum assays; P <0.0001). Twenty-nine CD patient specimens (16%) were negative for serum anti-tTG and EmA; for 24 of these patients, anti-tTG assay of the culture medium was positive. The CD patients whose biopsy specimens were positive for serum antibodies showed the following intestinal histologies: total villous atrophy, 35%; severe villous atrophy, 25%; mild atrophy, 25%; villi with no atrophy but with increased intraepithelial lymphocytes, 15%. None of the CD patients whose specimens were negative for serum antibodies showed total or severe villous atrophy; 77% had mild villous atrophy, and 23% had no villous atrophy but had increased intraepithelial lymphocyte counts. Mild villous atrophy was also seen in specimens from approximately 15% of patients without CD. CONCLUSION: Anti-tTG assay of the culture medium of biopsy specimens can improve the accuracy of CD diagnosis in patients negative for serum antibodies.     

Uselessness of anti-actin antibody in celiac disease screening

BACKGROUND: Serum anti-actin IgA antibodies (AAA) were identified in patients with celiac disease (CD), and a close correlation emerged between the presence of AAA and mucosa damage, but test for AAA found in celiacs have a wide range of sensitivity and specificity values. AIM: To compare 1) the sensitivity and specificity of untreated, calcium-chelated and heated sera from 102 celiacs, 52 sick patients and 103 healthy controls in the determination of AAA, and 2) the reliability of AAA with anti-transglutaminase antibodies (anti-tTG) in diagnosing celiac disease and in predicting intestinal damage. The intestinal derived AAA was isolated by using the phage-display library technique. RESULTS: Treated sera was significantly more sensitive than untreated (p=0.0001), and showed a significant correlation between AAA and the three degrees (3a, 3b, 3c) of intestinal damage (p=0.01). Sensitivity and specificity values of anti-tTG assay were higher than the AAA assay, and anti-tTG serum-concentration was only significantly correlated with more severe (3b and 3c) intestinal damage degrees. AAA isolated by phage display showed similar results of serum AAA in immunofluorescence assay. CONCLUSIONS: Notwithstanding correlation between AAA and celiac disease, AAA assay, also after treatments, has little to offer in screening for CD compared to the well-established anti-transglutaminase assay.     

The role of wireless capsule endoscopy in investigating unexplained iron deficiency anemia after negative endoscopic evaluation of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract

INTRODUCTION: Despite undergoing standard endoscopic diagnostic evaluation with eosophagogastroduodenoscopy and ileocolonoscopy, up to 30% of patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) have no definitive diagnosis. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate the role of wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) in detecting lesions of the small bowel in patients with unexplained IDA after a negative endoscopic work-up. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1 December 2003 and 31 December 2004, 253 consecutive patients who had been referred because of unexplained IDA underwent eosophagogastroduodenoscopy with small-bowel biopsies and ileocolonoscopy. Endoscopic and histological investigations were negative in 51 of these patients (20.2%) and WCE was performed. Air double-contrast enteroclysis was performed following WCE in all these patients. RESULTS: Wireless capsule endoscopy revealed one or more small-bowel lesions that were considered to be a likely cause of the IDA in 29/51 patients (57%): angiodysplasias in twelve patients (23.5%), multiple jejunal and/or ileal ulcers in six patients (11.7%), multiple erosions in four patients (7.8%), a solitary ulcer in three patients (5.9%), polyps in two patients (3.9%), and tumors in two patients (3.9%). Enteroclysis revealed abnormal findings likely to cause IDA in only 6/51 patients (11.8%): multiple ileal ulcers in three patients (5.9%), tumors in two patients (3.9%), and polyps in one patient (1.9%) (enteroclysis VS. WCE, P < 0.0001). WCE revealed all of the radiographic findings and no adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the importance of investigating the small bowel with WCE in patients with unexplained IDA after negative standard endoscopic evaluation. Wireless capsule endoscopy is superior to enteroclysis for detecting lesions of the small bowel in patients with unexplained IDA and should be the next diagnostic test of choice after unremarkable standard endoscopic evaluation.     

The prevalence of growth hormone deficiency and celiac disease in short children

OBJECTIVES: To assess the occurrence of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in patients with celiac disease (CD) referred for short stature. DESIGN: A retrospective, multi-center study. A total of 7066 children with short stature were referred to a number of centers for second-line evaluation over a 5-year period. All patients were screened for CD by antiendomysial antibodies (EMA) and antitissue transglutaminase IgA.Those with positive sera underwent intestinal biopsy. The EMA-negative patients and the EMA-positive ones who did not grow after 1 year of gluten-free diet underwent endocrinological investigation. RESULTS: Among the 7066 short children (age 2-14 years) evaluated, 650 (9.2%) had GHD and 44 (0.63%) had CD. An association of both CD and GHD was found in 16 short children (0.23%); these children did not grow after 1 year of gluten-free diet and therefore GH treatment was started. CONCLUSIONS: GH secretion should be evaluated in celiac patients showing no catch-up growth after an appropriate period on a gluten-free diet in spite of reversion to seronegativity for EMA.     

Clinical benefit of a gluten-free diet in type 1 diabetic children with screening-detected celiac disease: a population-based screening study with 2 years' follow-up

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to 1) determine the prevalence of celiac disease in Danish children with type 1 diabetes and 2) estimate the clinical effects of a gluten-free diet (GFD) in patients with diabetes and celiac disease. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a region comprising 24% of the Danish population, all patients <16 years old with type 1 diabetes were identified and 269 (89%) were included in the study. The diagnosis of celiac disease was suspected in patients with endomysium and tissue transglutaminase antibodies in serum and confirmed by intestinal biopsy. Patients with celiac disease were followed for 2 years while consuming a GFD. RESULTS: In 28 of 33 patients with celiac antibodies, an intestinal biopsy showed villous atrophy. In 5 patients, celiac disease had been diagnosed previously, giving an overall prevalence of 12.3% (95% CI 8.6-16.9). Patients with celiac disease had a lower SD score (SDS) for height (P < 0.001) and weight (P = 0.002) than patients without celiac disease and were significantly younger at diabetes onset (P = 0.041). A GFD was obtained in 31 of 33 patients. After 2 years of follow-up, there was an increase in weight SDS (P = 0.006) and in children <14 years old an increase in height SDS (P = 0.036). An increase in hemoglobin (P = 0.002) and serum ferritin (P = 0.020) was found, whereas HbA(1c) remained unchanged (P = 0.311) during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study showed the highest reported prevalence of celiac disease in type 1 diabetes in Europe. Patients with celiac disease showed clinical improvements with a GFD. We recommend screening for celiac disease in all children with type 1 diabetes.     

A beta-turn rich oats peptide as an antigen in an ELISA method for the screening of coeliac disease in a paediatric population

BACKGROUND: ELISA methods for the measurement of IgA antigliadin antibodies (AGA), both home-made and commercial systems, routinely employ wheat gliadin fractions as coating antigens. We investigate the sensitivity and specificity for CD diagnosis of a new ELISA method using a highly immunoreactive beta-turn rich gamma3-avenin peptide as an alternative coating antigen. METHODS: The assay was standardized with antihuman IgA peroxidase-conjugated as the second antibody. Alternatively, an ELISA based on the use of protein A-peroxidase was assayed to measure both IgG plus IgA antibodies. Sixty-three sera from healthy controls were analyzed to establish the system's cut-off point. Sera from 103 coeliac and from 65 noncoeliac children were tested; for diagnosis purposes, a small intestinal biopsy had been performed in all of them. RESULTS: For the IgA class antibodies assay a high sensitivity and specificity of 90.3% and 98.5%, respectively, was obtained, comparable to those achieved for IgA antiendomysium antibodies (EmA) with the same sera. CONCLUSIONS: In view of the high sensitivity and specificity obtained together with water solubility of the peptide and easiness for large-scale reproducible synthesis, the new AGA IgA avenin peptide ELISA represents a significant improvement in CD diagnosis in comparison with conventional established AGA IgA ELISA using crude gliadins as coating antigens.     

Comparison of different salivary and fecal antibodies for the diagnosis of celiac disease

To investigate the detectability and expressiveness of salivary and fecal anti-gliadin (AGA), anti-endomysium (EMA) and anti-tissue-transglutaminase (ATA) antibodies, 127 salivary and 160 fecal samples of healthy volunteers and salivary and fecal samples of 17 patients with histologically proven and 9 patients with suggested celiac disease were investigated in this study. With all salivary parameters and fecal IgA AGA, IgM AGA, IgA EMA and IgG EMA, healthy volunteers and patients showed partially overlapping results. The most promising results in our study with higher concentrations in patients with celiac disease were obtained by fecal scIgA AGA and a combined determination of fecal IgA AGA, IgG AGA and IgM AGA. Further investigations should be performed with fecal IgA EMA and scIgA ATA based on human recombinant tissue-transglutaminase. One patient with histologically proven celiac disease had normal serological but high fecal scIgA AGA and scIgA ATA values. This patient emphasizes the importance of fecal antibody determination for the diagnosis of celiac disease, at least in patients with suggested celiac disease and negative serum antibodies.     

Antibodies against synthetic deamidated gliadin peptides as predictors of celiac disease: prospective assessment in an adult population with a high pretest probability of disease

BACKGROUND: Noninvasive serologic tests have shown high diagnostic accuracy for celiac disease (CD) in selected populations. Our aim was to determine prospectively the performance of CD-related serology in individuals undergoing intestinal biopsy because of clinical suspicion of small-bowel disorders. METHODS: We enrolled 141 unselected consecutive adult patients attending a small-bowel disease clinic. Patients underwent endoscopy and biopsy; serum samples were obtained at that time for measurements of anti-tissue transglutaminase (a-tTG), IgA and IgG anti-deamidated gliadin-related peptide (a-DGP), and IgA antiactin antibodies (AAAs). Characterization of patients was based on histological criteria (Marsh type II lesion or greater). RESULTS: The prevalence of CD was 42.5%. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were >90% for most assays. Diagnostic accuracy based on ROC curve analysis was similar for all assays [area under the curve (95% CI): 0.996 (0.967-0.998) for a-tTG, 0.995 (0.964-0.998) for IgA a-DGP, 0.989 (0.954-0.999) for IgG a-DGP, 0.996 (0.966-0.998) for blended conjugated of IgA + IgG a-DGP in a single assay, and 0.967 (0.922-0.990) for AAA]. The combinations of 2 tests, IgG a-DGP plus IgA a-tTG or the single blended conjugate detecting IgA + IgG a-DGP plus IgA a-tTG had 100% positive and negative predictive values if concentrations of both tests in either combination were above or below the cutoff. CONCLUSIONS: In a population with high pretest probability, the newly developed a-DGP tests have diagnostic accuracy that is at least equivalent to that of established assays.     

A new method of diagnosing gastric intestinal metaplasia: narrow-band imaging with magnifying endoscopy

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: With endoscopy, there is a high rate of interobserver variability in the identification of gastric intestinal metaplasia, and the endoscopic findings correlate poorly with the histological findings. Previous studies by our group investigating the use of a narrow-band imaging system with magnifying endoscopy (NBI-ME) in the gastric mucosa suggested that the appearance of a light blue crest (LBC) on the epithelial surface may be a distinctive endoscopic finding associated with the presence of intestinal metaplasia. The aim of the present study was to clarify the value of NBI-ME for diagnosing gastric intestinal metaplasia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The LBC was defined as a fine, blue-white line on the crests of the epithelial surface/gyri. To investigate the histology underlying the appearance of LBC, 44 biopsy specimens were obtained from regions containing LBC and 44 from non-LBC mucosa in 34 patients with atrophic gastritis. Three endoscopists then carried out NBI-ME in 107 consecutive patients to validate the diagnostic accuracy of the novel endoscopic technique. The degree of correlation between the LBC grading and the histological parameters of intestinal metaplasia was then assessed. RESULTS: The LBC grading correlated with cells that were positive for CD10 ( P = 0.0001) and Alcian blue ( P = 0.036). The appearance of LBC correlated with histological evidence of intestinal metaplasia with a sensitivity of 89 % (95 % CI, 83 - 96 %), a specificity of 93 % (95 % CI, 88 - 97 %), a positive predictive value of 91 % (95 % CI, 85 - 96 %), a negative predictive value of 92 % (95 % CI, 87 - 97 %), and an accuracy of 91 % (95 % CI, 88 - 95 %). CONCLUSIONS: In narrow-band imaging with magnifying endoscopy, observation of a light blue crest on the epithelial surface in the gastric mucosa is a highly accurate sign of the presence of histological intestinal metaplasia.     

Coeliac disease screening in children: assessment of a novel anti-gliadin antibody assay

Coeliac disease (CD) screening has progressed rapidly with tissue transglutaminase (TTG), the screening tool of choice. However, TTG may be unreliable in young children and advances in CD etiology understanding have seen improvements in anti-gliadin (AGA) assay technology. The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of an updated and refined AGA (Neogliadin) assay for CD screening in children with gastrointestinal symptoms. Children attending the Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, with gastrointestinal symptoms had sera collected and assayed by Neogliadin and commercial TTG assays in addition to the usual clinical work-up. One hundred and fifteen children were recruited in which 32 were diagnosed with CD. AGA-IgA screening by Neogliadin showed improved sensitivity (83%) and specificity (91%) but did not eclipse the sensitivity (93%) and specificity (90%) of TTG-IgA screening. In the children diagnosed with CD, 7 were identified as younger than 5 years of age with 4/7 AGA-IgA positive, 5/7 AGA-IgG positive, and 6/7 TTG-IgA positive. The updated Neogliadin IgA assay does not improve on the accuracy achieved by TTG screening. TTG appears to be a suitable screening tool for children younger than 5 years of age although this preliminary finding requires confirmation.     

Comparison of anti-transglutaminase ELISAs and an anti-endomysial antibody assay in the diagnosis of celiac disease: a prospective study

BACKGROUND: Most studies of anti-transglutaminase (anti-tTG) assays have considered preselected groups of patients. This study compared the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of an immunofluorescence method for anti-endomysial antibodies (EmAs) and two anti-tTG ELISAs, one using guinea pig tTG (gp-tTG) and the other human tTG (h-tTG) as antigen, in consecutive patients investigated for suspected celiac disease (CD). METHODS: We studied 207 consecutive patients (99 men, 108 women; age range, 17-84 years) who underwent intestinal biopsy for suspected CD. Patients presented with one or more of the following: weight loss, anemia, chronic diarrhea, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, alternating bowel habits, constipation, pain in the joints, and dermatitis. At entry to the study, an intestinal biopsy was performed and a serum sample was taken for IgA EmAs, anti-gp-tTG, and anti-h-tTG. RESULTS: Intestinal histology showed that 24 patients had partial or total villous atrophy; in these patients the diagnosis of CD was confirmed by follow-up. The remaining 183 patients had villous/crypt ratios that were within our laboratory's reference values and were considered controls. Serum EmAs, anti-gp-tTG, and anti-h-tTG were positive in all 24 CD patients; in the control group, none were positive for serum EmAs, but 15 of 183 (8.2%) were positive for anti-gp-tTG, and 6 of 183 (3.3%) were positive for anti-h-tTG. Sensitivity was 100% for all assays, whereas specificity was 100% for the EmA, 92% for the anti-gp-tTG, and 97% for the anti-h-tTG assay. The negative predictive value was 100% for all assays; the positive predictive value was 100% for the EmA, 80% [95% confidence interval (CI), 65-95%] for the anti-h-tTG (P = 0.03 vs EmA) and 60% (95% CI, 44-76%) for the anti-gp-tTG assay (P = 0.0002 vs EmA). Areas (95% CIs) under the ROC curves were 0.987 (0.97-1.0) for anti-h-tTG and 0.965 (0.94-0.99) for anti-gp-tTG. Most of the patients testing false positive for anti-tTG had Crohn disease or chronic liver disease. CONCLUSIONS: Although both anti-tTG ELISAs showed optimum sensitivity, their lack of specificity yielded positive predictive values significantly lower than those for the EmA assay.     

Serum IgA tissue transglutaminase antibodies in coeliac disease and other gastrointestinal diseases

We investigated the presence of IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies in untreated coeliac disease (CD) and other gastrointestinal diseases, and compared IgA tTG concentrations with anti-endomysium (EMA) immunofluorescent findings. The study included 116 untreated CD patients (74 female, 42 male, age range 15-78 years, median 47 years), 82 treated CD patients, 65 patients with normal duodenal histology, 260 disease control samples and 29 healthy volunteers. IgA anti-tTG, EMA, and anti-gliadin (AGA) antibodies were measured. Serum total IgA was measured in the CD patients. Two IgA-deficient untreated CD patients were excluded. IgA EMA and IgA AGA were positive in 99 (87%) and 69 (61%), respectively, of the 114 untreated CD patients. Elevated IgA anti-tTG were found in 92/114 (81%) untreated coeliacs, 1/82 (1%) treated coeliacs, 2/65 (3%) non-coeliacs, 10/260 (4%) disease controls and 2/29 (7%) volunteers. Four of the untreated CD patients, with a normal serum total IgA concentration, were negative for all the serological tests. IgA anti-tTG concentrations were significantly higher in untreated coeliacs (median 10200 units/ml) than in other groups (Mann-Whitney, p<0.00001) and compared well with IgA EMA titres (r(2)=0.54; p<0.0001).     

Use of HLA typing in diagnosing celiac disease in patients with type 1 diabetes

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the use of HLA typing for the diagnosis of celiac disease in a group of Australians with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Subjects included 131 sequential patients with type 1 diabetes (mean age 17 years [range 10-37]), 77 patients with biopsy-proven celiac disease (mean age 52 years [range 12-84]), and 162 healthy control subjects (mean age 17 years [range 2 months to 56 years]). Subjects were prospectively screened for celiac disease using endomysial antibodies (EMAs), tissue transglutaminase antibodies (TTGAs), and celiac disease-specific HLA typing. RESULTS: Celiac disease was diagnosed in 11 subjects after an intestinal biopsy (prevalence 8.4%). There was 95% agreement between TTGA and EMA for positive results and 100% for negative results. There was no significant difference for HLA DQ2 and DR4 among patients with type 1 diabetes with or without celiac disease. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of celiac disease among patients with type 1 diabetes is higher than previously estimated in Australia. TTGA is a valuable diagnostic tool that can be used for screening celiac disease in patients with type 1 diabetes. HLA typing should not be used in the diagnosis of celiac disease in patients with type 1 diabetes because of the similarities of HLA types between patients with type 1 diabetes and those with celiac disease.     

Review and practice guidelines for celiac disease in 2014

Celiac disease, or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, is defined as a state of heightened immunologic responsiveness to ingested gluten (from wheat, barley, or rye) in genetically susceptible individuals. Ingestion of the offending proteins leads to inflammation and intestinal mucosal damage, which may result in a spectrum of gastrointestinal symptoms, nutritional abnormalities, and systemic complications ranging from anemia and osteoporosis to secondary autoimmunity and malignancy. The genetic influence in the pathogenesis of celiac disease is indicated by its familial occurrence. Celiac disease does not develop unless a person has alleles that encode for human leukocyte antigen DQ2 or DQ8 proteins. The clinical picture of celiac disease has changed considerably during the past 30 years. Diarrhea, which was the presenting symptom in > 90% of celiac disease patients before 1981, is now the chief complaint in < 40%. In contrast, the increased frequency of atypical celiac disease presentations, including anemia and bone disease, is revealed by the widespread availability of serologic testing. An association between celiac disease and autoimmune disorders, such as type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disease, and Sjögren’s syndrome, has been well documented. The tissue transglutaminase immunoglobulin antibody and the endomysial immunoglobulin antibody are the most sensitive and specific serologic tests, respectively, for identifying individuals who need to undergo an intestinal biopsy. If the suspicion of celiac disease is high, intestinal biopsy should be pursued even if serologic tests are negative. The gold standard for the diagnosis of celiac disease is a small bowel biopsy showing villous atrophy. The treatment for celiac disease is lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD). Despite the proven benefits of the GFD, it can be exceedingly difficult to completely avoid gluten-containing foods, and adherence to a GFD is estimated to be only 45% to 80%.     

Celiac disease and IgA deficiency: complications of serological testing approaches encountered in the clinic

BACKGROUND: IgA deficiency causes false-negative IgA-based celiac serology results in patients with celiac disease. Using a case-finding strategy, we examined the prevalence of IgA deficiency, physician evaluation, and management of IgA deficiency during serological testing for celiac disease. METHODS: We reviewed consecutive IgA-endomysial antibody (EMA) and serum IgA results from the laboratory database over 17 months. We cross-referenced seronegative patients with IgA deficiency (IgA <0.06 g/L) to the pathology database to evaluate intestinal biopsy results. Ordering physicians received a questionnaire regarding the management of seronegative patients with IgA deficiency who had no biopsy record. RESULTS: Among the 9533 patients tested for IgA-EMA, 4698 (49%) were tested for IgA deficiency. IgA deficiency occurred in 35 of 4698 (0.75%) patients screened for IgA deficiency. Only 19 of 35 (54%) IgA-deficient patients were diagnosed appropriately with either intestinal biopsy (17 patients) or measurement of IgG-tissue transglutaminase (2 patients). Thirteen (76%) of the 17 IgA-deficient patients who underwent upper endoscopy with or without colonoscopy displayed gastrointestinal pathology on biopsies, including 3 (18%) with celiac disease. No further evaluation to exclude celiac disease was performed for the remaining 16 of 35 (46%) IgA-deficient, EMA-negative patients because of inappropriate management (6 patients), administrative error (7 patients), or patient/physician refusal (3 patients). CONCLUSIONS: IgA deficiency occurred in 1:131 patients tested for celiac disease, and celiac disease occurred in 1:6 of those properly evaluated. Inadequate evaluation of IgA deficiency while testing for celiac disease occurred frequently and resulted in the underdiagnosis of both. Changes in testing algorithms and reporting of results were made to improve testing for celiac disease and IgA deficiency.     

Tissue transglutaminase-serology markers for coeliac disease.

Serology markers of coeliac disease (CD) - antigliadin IgA/IgG antibodies (AGA/AGG) with purified alpha-gliadin, antiendomysium IgA antibodies (EmA) and anti-tissue transglutaminase (atTG) IgA/IgG antibodies--determined in 1451 serum samples, were analysed with respect to different screening algorithms. Determination of atTG using five ELISA methods was compared taking into account the impact of human recombinant antigen and IgG class of atTG. A subgroup of 119 patients undergoing small intestinal biopsy was used to calculate sensitivity and specificity of CD markers. The highest sensitivity (94%) was obtained for AGG, and the highest specificity (93.5%) was obtained for EmA. All coeliac disease patients were detected using the combination of all four CD markers, resulting in 100% sensitivity. CD and type 1 diabetes mellitus autoantigens were determined in 139 diabetic patients. The atTG IgA mean value (16.7 IU/ml) was higher in the antiglutamate dehydrogenase antibody (GAD)-positive subgroup, where at least one CD marker was positive in 83.6% subjects. In the GAD-negative subgroup atTG IgA was 8.73 lU/ml and at least one CD marker was positive in 57.4% subjects. atTG in IgA and IgG classes could be recommended as valuable serological markers of CD in the differential diagnosis of malabsorption as well as in various screening algorithms. ELISA determination of atTG with human antigen could increase the specificity, especially in patients with other autoimmune diseases.     

A highly accurate method for monitoring histological recovery in patients with celiac disease on a gluten-free diet using an endoscopic approach that avoids the need for biopsy: a double-center study

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM: Endoscopy with duodenal biopsy is often performed in order to assess histological recovery in patients with celiac disease who are on a gluten-free diet. Use of the "immersion" technique during upper endoscopy allows visualization of duodenal villi or detection of total villous atrophy. In this two-center study, we investigated the accuracy of the immersion technique in predicting histological recovery in patients on a gluten-free diet whose initial diagnosis of celiac disease had been made on the basis of total villous atrophy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The immersion technique was performed in 62 patients with celiac disease who were being treated and who had been referred for follow-up (26 patients at the Rome center and 36 patients at the Vicenza center). All these patients had an initial diagnosis based on positive antibodies and biopsy-proved duodenal total villous atrophy. At the follow-up examination, the duodenal villi were re-evaluated as present or absent by one endoscopist at each center, and the results were compared with the histology. RESULTS: At the follow-up endoscopy, the duodenal villi were found to be present in 51 patients and absent in 11. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the immersion technique for detecting the presence or absence of villi were all 100 %. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the feasibility and the high level of accuracy of the immersion technique in predicting the histological recovery of duodenal villi in patients with celiac disease who are following a gluten-free diet. An endoscopy-based approach that avoids the need for biopsy could be useful for monitoring the dietary adherence and/or response of patients with an initial diagnosis of celiac disease based on total villous atrophy.     

蓝激光内镜不同成像模式在胃粘膜肠化生及萎缩组织学分级诊断中的临床应用

目的评价蓝激光内镜不同成像模式用于胃粘膜组织学变化及其分级诊断的临床价值。方法收集2019年7月~2020年9月,体检或因消化不良等症状在南方医科大学深圳医院门诊或住院行蓝光成像放大内镜检查,经内镜检查取活检病理确诊为胃粘膜肠化生和萎缩的160例患者作为研究对象。蓝光成像内镜检查过程中,依次应用普通白光模式、亮蓝光成像模式、蓝光成像模式观察全胃黏膜外观形态,白光模式下依据慢性胃炎活检病理诊断共识取材,亮蓝光成像模式、蓝光成像模式均于黏膜色泽异常部位取材。使用配对卡方检验分析不同观察模式下活检病理对胃粘膜肠化生和萎缩的诊断率,使用Wilcoxon符号秩检验分析不同观察模式下CG各组织学变化分级（0、+、++、+++）的辅助识别能力。结果白光模式、亮蓝光成像模式、蓝光成像模式下活检病理胃黏膜萎缩诊断率分别为6.9%（11/160）、49.4%（79/160）、20.6%（33/160）,活检病理胃黏膜肠化诊断率分别为3.75%（6/160）、22.5%（36/160）、55.0%（88/160）; 与白光模式比较,亮蓝光成像模式下的活检病理胃黏膜萎缩诊断率最高（P < 0.01）,蓝光成像模式下的活检病理胃黏膜肠化诊断率最高（P < 0.01）。CG组织学分级中辅助识别能力方面,与白光模式比较,亮蓝光成像模式用于胃黏膜萎缩分级的辅助识别能力最好（Z=-7.685,P < 0.01）,蓝光成像用于胃黏膜肠化分级的辅助识别能力最好（Z=-8.272,P < 0.01）。结论蓝激光成像内镜用于CG胃粘膜肠化生和萎缩组织学分级诊断方面具有较好的临床应用价值,其中亮蓝光成像模式更适用于胃黏膜萎缩的活检病理取材和辅助组织学分级,蓝光成像模式更适用于胃黏膜肠化的活检病理取材和辅助组织学分级。      

Prevalence of occult celiac disease in patients with iron-deficiency anemia: a prospective study

BACKGROUND: Occult celiac disease has been reported in 0 to 6% of adults presenting with iron-deficiency anemia. Most prior studies have been retrospective or screened only a selected population of patients with small bowel biopsies. To more accurately define the true prevalence of this disorder in patients presenting with iron-deficiency anemia (with or without stool hemoccult positivity), we initiated this prospective study. METHODS: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy with small bowel biopsies and colonoscopy were performed in all iron-deficiency anemia patients (including those with hemoccult-positive stools) referred to the gastroenterology service during a 2-year period (1998-2000). Inclusion criteria included iron-deficiency anemia as defined by a serum ferritin < 25 ng/ml and anemia with hemoglobin < 12 g/dl. Patients were excluded for documented prior erosive, ulcerative, or malignant disease of the gastrointestinal tract, previous gastrointestinal surgery, overt gastrointestinal bleeding within the past 3 months, or inability to access the duodenum for biopsy. All patients underwent upper endoscopy with more than two biopsies of the distal duodenum and colonoscopy. A serum immunoglobulin A antiendomysial antibody test was to be performed in those patients with a positive small bowel biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of celiac disease. RESULTS: One hundred five of 139 consecutive patients with iron-deficiency anemia met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in the study. Fifty-seven men (mean age, 51.6 yr) and 48 women (mean age, 54.1 yr) constituted the study population. The demographics of this study population included 36 blacks, 38 Hispanics, and 22 whites. Nine patients were of mixed or unknown ethnic background. Forty-three and eight-tenths percent of the men and 37.5% of women had hemoccult-positive stools, accounting for a total of 40.9% of the study patients. Upper endoscopic findings included gastritis in 22.8%, gastric ulcers in 9.5%, duodenitis in 8.5%, esophagitis in 7.6%, Barrett's ulcer in 2.8%, duodenal ulcer in 2.8%, gastric polyp in 2.8%, and celiac disease in 2.8%. Colonoscopic findings included colon polyps in 21.9%, diverticula in 10.4%, and hemorrhoids in 16.1%. Multiple findings were found in 32.3% of patients, and there were no findings in 28.5% of patients. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of occult celiac disease in this prospective study of patients presenting with iron-deficiency anemia was 2.8%. A significant number of other gastrointestinal lesions amenable to therapy were also found on upper and lower endoscopy in these patients. Given the treatable nature of celiac disease, it should be screened for in patients with unexplained iron-deficiency anemia with or without hemoccult-positive stools.