Value of antigliadin antibodies

Abstract

The diagnosis of coeliac disease (cd) is based on the fiding of villous atrophy by an intestinal biopsy, which must be repeated several times. The antigliadin antibodies (AGA) have been proposed as a useful marker of CD activity. However, these antibodies are also present in other gastrointestinal diseases, even in normal children. These Tidings made doubtful the specificity of AGA study. The enzimoimmunoassay (ELISA) is a very sensitive and reliable technique which can be used for the screening of CD, helping to select the patients who must undergo an intestinal biopsy.
The most specific type of AGA is the IgAl. Their synthesis is prevailing in the spleen, on the contrary to IgA2 and secretory IgA which are mainly formed in the intestinal mucosa. Our results make us advise the intestinal biopsy for diagnosing the CD in the children with positive AGA of IgG and IgAl type. The control biopsy in coeliac patients with gluten-free diet must be delayed until the IgAl-AGA were below normal limits.