Predicting Intestinal Healing in Celiac Disease

Jul 31, 2019 | Kanaaz Pereira, Connect Moderator | @kanaazpereira

Patients diagnosed with celiac disease must get regular check-ups to see if they are responding to a gluten-free diet. Doctors look for any lessening in symptoms, or they may do a duodenal biopsy or a blood test. However, research has shown that these tests may not always be accurate to determine intestinal recovery. Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, Dr. Joseph Murray, talks about a novel test which measures immune response to epitopes, resulting in a more accurate identification of patients with celiac disease, as well as patients with mucosal healing.

Researchers used a peptide array test to study the immune reaction in celiac disease patients. They found that this approach might be more accurate to diagnose patients with celiac disease. More importantly, it seemed to be a good predictor of whether the intestine had healed or not. The study, titled Synthetic Neoepitopes of the Transglutaminase–Deamidated Gliadin Complex as Biomarkers for Diagnosing and Monitoring Celiac Disease, has been published in the journal, Gastroenterology.

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