title: Clinical accuracy of anti-tissue transglutaminase as screening test for celiac disease under 2 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate, in patients with suspected celiac disease (CD) younger than 2 years, the clinical value of anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) in diagnostic work-up of CD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between June 2005 and June 2009, 169 patients aged <2 years, with symptoms suggestive of CD, were submitted to biopsy. CD diagnosis was based on the revised criteria of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 169 patients enrolled, 155 were included: 108 of them showed mucosal atrophy and 47 negative histology. Sensitivity and specificity of tTG, at the cut-off of 8 AU/mL, were 0.96 (CI 0.91-0.99) and 0.91 (CI 0.80-0.98), respectively, with likelihood ratio (LR) of 11.31; at the cut-off of 16 AU/mL, they were 0.79 (CI 0.70-0.86) and 1.00, respectively (CI 0.92-1.00), with LR 4.50.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients younger than 2 years, suspected for CD, tTG is very valuable in selecting for small intestinal biopsy.
authors.affiliation: Hepatology, Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital-Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Panetta
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Torre
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Colistro
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferretti
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daniele
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Diamanti
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D018579:Patient Selection; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011503:Transglutaminases / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011503:Transglutaminases