A recent study (RS Choung et al. Gastroenterol 156: 582-91) showed that synthetic neoepitopes of the transglutaminase-deamidated gliadin complex are better noninvasive biomarkers for detecting celiac disease and for monitoring mucosal healing.
Link to Graphical Abstract and Abstract: Synthetic Neoepitopes of the Transglutaminase–Deamidated Gliadin Complex as Biomarkers for Diagnosing and Monitoring Celiac Disease
The authors studied the serum samples from 90 patients with Celiac disease (CD) and from 79 healthy controls and developed a fluorescent peptide microarray platform Then, the authors validated their findings in 82 patients with newly diagnosed CD and 217 controls.
Key findings:
- 7% of patients with treated (with gluten free diet [GFD]) and healed CD had positive TTG-IgA and 27% of patients treated but unhealed CD mucosa had positive TTG IgA
- With the synthetic neoepitopes, CD was identified with 99% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The assay identified patients with CD with healed mucosa with an 84% sensitivity and 95% specificity.
My take: More precise noninvasive markers like these should help identify individuals with celiac disease and those who have responded (or not) to the recommended gluten free diet.
Related blog posts:
- Followup Biopsies in Pediatric Celiac Disease?
- How Accurate is Serology at Predicting Mucosal Healing?
- Is it Helpful to Check Celiac Serology Titers After 3 Months of a Gluten Free Diet?
- How Likely is Celiac Disease if My TTG Test Is Only a Little Bit Abnormal? | gutsandgrowth
- Are Followup Biopsies Necessary for Celiac Disease? Look Beyond the Headline | gutsandgrowth
- How Slow Do Objective Markers of Celiac Change After Treatment? | gutsandgrowth
- Is Deamidated Gliadin Serology a Useful Adjunct in Screening for Celiac Disease? | gutsandgrowth
- Economic Costs of Gluten Free Diet | gutsandgrowth
- Drug Therapy for Celiac Disease | gutsandgrowth
- Why is Celiac Disease Becoming More Prevalent? | gutsandgrowth
- Benefits of Gluten–Free Diet for “Asymptomatic” Celiac | gutsandgrowth
- Closer followup for Celiac disease & pediatric … – gutsandgrowth
Unrelated but important —NPR reports on another large study showing that MMR does not cause autism -Link: A Large Study Provides More Evidence That MMR Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism
Related blog post: “Too many vaccines and autism” debunked
Link to full text of study from Annals of Internal Medicine: Measles, Mumps, Rubella Vaccination and Autism: A Nationwide Cohort Study