Serum and salivary antiendomysium antibodies in the screening of coeliac disease.
BACKGROUND
Antiendomysium antibodies (EMA) detection in serum is the best screening test for coeliac disease (CD): in saliva it has not yet been assayed. Aims of this study are: to verify the presence of EMA in saliva collected with a not invasive technique; to evaluate the validity of serum and salivary EMA in CD screening.


METHODS
We investigated 130 subjects divided into 3 groups: "A": 45 untreated CD patients (mean age 6.11); "B": 18 CD patients treated with a gluten free diet (mean age 13.2); "C": 67 controls (mean age 8.9). We performed the EMA test using the indirect immunofluorescence technique, in serum and in saliva concentrated samples.


RESULTS
Our results show: sensitivity EMA serum 100%; specificity EMA serum 96.5%; sensitivity EMA saliva 46.5%; specificity EMA saliva 100%; pos. pred. value EMA serum 93.5%; neg. pred. value serum 100%; pos. pred. value EMA saliva 100%; neg. pred. value saliva 78.7%.


CONCLUSIONS
Conclusion indicates a high specificity of salivary EMA and a high sensitivity of serum EMA, anyway biopsy is still recommended for diagnosis of CD.
Di Leo
M
M
Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence Sciences Chair of Pediatrics, University of Turin, Italy.
Weisz
G
G
Ansaldi Balocco
N
N
D000293:Adolescent; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012463:Saliva / Q000276:immunology*
D007070:Immunoglobulin A