Celiac screening / Celiac Screening

General Information

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that is initiated in people with a genetic predisposition by eating gluten contained in cereals.

The incidence of celiac disease in the general population is about 0.5%.

The disease can manifest itself at an early age (4-24 months of age), although most cases begin in adulthood.

The clinical picture of the disease includes diarrhea, abdominal pain, indigestion, weight loss, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.

Almost half of patients diagnosed with celiac disease have an asymptomatic or atypical form of the disease.

Serological markers of celiac disease are widely used for screening of the disease.

Tissue transglutaminase is a tissue enzyme that is an antigen associated with celiac disease. IgA and IgG antibodies against tissue transglutaminase are screening serological markers of celiac disease.

Immunoglobulin IgA is a protein of the immune system that is involved in neutralizing bacteria and viruses. It is produced in leukocytes, in particular B cells, and is transported in mucous membranes: in the intestine, in the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, respiratory and genitourinary tracts.

IgA present in the mucous membranes provides local protection against pathogenic viruses and bacteria, as well as against the influence of local microflora.

Material for examination: Venous blood

Preliminary preparation:  Before conducting the research, it is necessary for the patient to take gluten-containing products for a certain period of time in order to develop an immune reaction. Otherwise, the research is uninformative.

Reference boundaries

 Antibodies against IgA transglutaminase:
Negative: <10 units/ml
Positive: ≥ 10 units/ml

Antibodies against IgG transglutaminase:
Negative: <10 units/ml
Positive: ≥ 10 units/ml

Immunoglobulin IgA

The amount of IgA depends on a person's age. With increasing age, the normal indicators increase.

• 0-1 year: 1-83 mg/dL
• 1-5 year: 20-152 mg/dL
• 5-10 year: 33-274 mg/dL
• 10-17 years: 42-378 mg/dL
• Over 18 years: 60-400 mg/dL

The celiac disease screening profile includes the following tests:

Anti-transglutaminase IgA

Anti-transglutaminase IgG

Common immunoglobulin IgA