Utility of Testing Patients for Serologic Features of Celiac Disease

May 29, 2014

Publishing in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Melpakkam Srinivas and colleagues report that, based on a retrospective analysis, patients with and without celiac disease cannot be distinguished based on clinical features.

Celiac disease shares features of other disorders. It can be diagnosed conclusively only based on duodenal histology analysis, which is not practical for screening purposes. Serologic analysis might be used to identify candidates for biopsy analysis. Melpakkam Srinivas and colleagues aimed to develop a simple diagnostic approach that all clinicians could follow to increase the percentage of patients accurately diagnosed with celiac disease at initial presentation. Publishing in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, they report that, based on a retrospective analysis, patients with and without celiac disease cannot be distinguished based on clinical features. Patients who present with symptoms of celiac disease should be tested for tTG to identify candidates for duodenal biopsy analysis.

Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2014: 12(6): 946-952