title: Serum folate determinations in tracing adult coeliacs.
abstract: A simple screening test would be helpful in tracing adult coeliacs in medical practice. Results from a gastroenterological routine practice with a high detection rate of coeliac disease showed that a low concentration of serum folate was the commonest abnormality in the serum of adults with this disorder unaccompanied by dermatitis herpetiformis. It occurred in 85%, ranking with steatorrhoea in frequency, and suggests that a serum folate determination could help to refer subjects for jejunal biopsy to detect coeliac disease. In patients found to have a low serum folate recording without a known cause, the predictive value of the low value for adult coeliac disease was examined, and the findings indicate that the investigation of such patients should include jejunal biopsy.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007583:Jejunum / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D005492:Folic Acid