Tissue transglutaminase antibody determination in celiac disease. Analysis of diagnostic specificity of anti-human IgA-type assays.

Biopsy is onerous and, for this reason, immunodiagnostics in sera of celiac disease patients are an "additional diagnostic standard." The objective of the study was to investigate the variability in diagnostic specificity of ELISAs for the detection of IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies in serum of celiac disease patients who underwent biopsy. All patients were included in the study on the basis that they had a small intestinal biopsy.