AB0230B STUDY OF CELIAC DISEASE ANTIBODIES IN PATIENTS WITH JUVENILE ONSET RHEUMATOLOGICAL DISORDERS

Abstract

Background Preclinical autoimmunity can be detected in the form of circulating autoantibodies in the peripheral blood many years preceding the onset of the clinical disease. Celiac disease (CD) is an immunological response to gluten in genetically susceptible people. The clinical presentation of CD includes abdominal pain, diarrhea and nutritional deficiencies. However; clinical symptoms could be misleading in most of the patients presenting subclinical forms with only minor gastroenterological symptoms. Celiac disease will present in older children by atypical presentation. Most celiac disease patients show atypical symptoms and may remain undiagnosed; which makes screening is mandatory in high-risk patients with autoimmune diseases. This collectively highlights the need to check for clinical evidence of celiac disease among patients diagnosed as juvenile onset rheumatic diseases Objectives The aim of the work is to screen for celiac disease antibodies (anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA and IgG auto-antibodies) in the serum of juvenile onset rheumatic diseases patients in comparison with normal subjects Methods Serum tTG (both IgA and IgG) level was detected in 60 juvenile onset rheumatic patients and 20 age and sex matched healthy controls. We also assessed different clinical and laboratory markers of disease parameters; 31 juvenile onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 21 juvenile onset idiopathic arthritis (JIA), 4 juvenile onset systemic sclerosis and 2 juvenile onset behcet’s disease and each disease activity score. We also correlated serum transglutaminase auto-antibodies with each disease activity. Endoscopic examination and histopathologic examination, for the patients with a least one positive anti-tTG Ab was done Results Serum anti-tTG Abs was no statistical significant differences in the patients group than in the control group, and there was no correlation between anti-tTG Abs with positive disease activity score Conclusion The presence of concomitant CD and another rheumatic disorder in the same patient is unlikely References [1] Roth B. Transglutaminase and peptidylarginine deiminase in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Doctorial Dissertation series. Sweden, Lund: Media-Tryck2008. [2] Vojdani A. Antibodies as predictors of complex autoimmune diseases and cancer. International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology. 2008; 21(3):553–566. Disclosure of Interests None declared