Small bowel transglutaminase 2-specific IgA deposits in dermatitis herpetiformis

Acta Derm Venereol. 2014 Jul;94(4):393-7. doi: 10.2340/00015555-1764.

Abstract

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is an extraintestinal manifestation of coeliac disease. Untreated coeliac disease patients are known to have transglutaminase 2 (TG2)-targeted IgA deposits in the small bowel mucosa. To evaluate whether similar intestinal IgA deposits are also present in DH and whether the deposits disappear with gluten-free diet, 47 untreated and 27 treated DH patients were studied. Seventy-nine percent of untreated and 41% of the treated DH patients had TG2-specific IgA deposits in the small bowel, and the presence of the deposits showed a significant association with the degree of small bowel villous atrophy (p < 0.001). Other coeliac-disease related inflammatory markers were also investigated, and the density of small bowel mucosal intraepithelial γδ(+) T cells was increased in 91% of untreated and 73% of treated DH patients. The results show that the majority of untreated DH patients have similar gluten-dependent TG2-specific IgA deposits the small bowel mucosa as coeliac disease patients.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Atrophy
  • Autoantibodies / analysis*
  • Autoimmunity
  • Biomarkers / analysis
  • Celiac Disease / complications
  • Celiac Disease / diagnosis
  • Celiac Disease / diet therapy
  • Celiac Disease / enzymology
  • Celiac Disease / immunology*
  • Dermatitis Herpetiformis / diagnosis
  • Dermatitis Herpetiformis / enzymology
  • Dermatitis Herpetiformis / immunology*
  • Diet, Gluten-Free
  • Female
  • GTP-Binding Proteins
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin A / analysis*
  • Intestinal Mucosa / enzymology
  • Intestinal Mucosa / immunology*
  • Intestinal Mucosa / pathology
  • Intestine, Small / enzymology
  • Intestine, Small / immunology*
  • Intestine, Small / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2
  • Transglutaminases / immunology*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Biomarkers
  • Immunoglobulin A
  • Protein Glutamine gamma Glutamyltransferase 2
  • Transglutaminases
  • GTP-Binding Proteins