title: Antiadenohypophysis autoantibodies in patients with nongluten-related gastroenteropathies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the presence of antipituitary antibodies (APA) in the serum of patients undergoing gastroenteropathies (GEP) other than celiac disease (CD).
  
  
  METHODS
  APA were analyzed in GEP patients (n = 103), CD patients (n = 94), idiopathic growth hormone (GH) deficiency patients (n = 21), and 98 age- and sex-matched controls. Indirect immunofluorescence was performed in cryostat sections of baboon pituitary gland.
  
  
  RESULTS
  APA were detected in 30% of GEP patients, 38% of them showed failure to thrive. No significant differences were found when we compared thrive impairment in negative and positive APA GEP patients. Indeed, normal values of insulin-like growth factor 1 were found in 93% of positive APA GEP patients. APA were detected in 52% of the CD patients. Ninety-one percent of them, in contrast to GEP group, showed significant growth impairment (P < 0.05) when compared to APA negative CD individuals. GH-deficient non-CD patients did not show APA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have shown the presence of APA in patients with nongluten-related enteropathies. The presence of antipituitary autoantibodies in GEP patients does not seem to be associated with failure to thrive as it occurs in CD.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Immunology Service, University Hospital Reina Sofía, Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aguado
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: Orlando A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Estévez
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santamaría
authors.forename: Consuelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ortega
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D005983:Glutens; D048788:Growth and Development; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D005983:Glutens
keywords: antipituitary antibodies; celiac disease; gastroenterophaties; growth impairment; pituitary