Evaluation of the antigliadin antibody titer in adult celiac disease

Serum gliadin antibodies of the IgA and IgG isotypes were assessed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique in adults during different phases of coeliac disease (30 on a gluten-containing diet and 24 on a gluten-free diet), in patients with other gastrointestinal disorders (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis) and in healthy controls. Significantly higher antibody values were found in 70% of coeliacs on a gluten-containing diet, compared with the findings in the healthy controls and with those in the same subjects after one year on a gluten-free diet. Serum antibodies of the IgA class were associated with severe small intestine villous atrophy and were found exclusively in coeliac disease. Gliadin antibodies of IgG class were less disease-specific and were occasionally detected in sera from patients with gastrointestinal diseases and in 6% of healthy controls.