Celiac disease screening in patients with scleroderma

Arq Gastroenterol. 2011 Apr-Jun;48(2):163-4. doi: 10.1590/s0004-28032011000200014.

Abstract

Both celiac disease and scleroderma have autoimmune etiology and affect the bowel causing diarrhea. As an association of autoimmune disease in a single individual is not rare, it is important to know if a patient with scleroderma may also have celiac disease. To analyze this we studied 105 scleroderma patients and 97 volunteers for IgA-EmA by indirect immunofluorescence assay. We could not find a higher prevalence of this autoantibody in scleroderma patients. The authors conclude that there is no need to screen scleroderma patients with diarrhea for celiac disease unless there is a clear clinical indication for this.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Autoantibodies / blood*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Celiac Disease / complications
  • Celiac Disease / diagnosis*
  • Female
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin A / blood*
  • Male
  • Scleroderma, Systemic / complications*
  • Transglutaminases / blood*

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Immunoglobulin A
  • Transglutaminases