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Published on: December 15, 2011
Anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies in peripheral neuropathy and motor neuronopathy
1Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. masa@unifi.it
Objectives:
The aim of the study was to investigate the occurence of anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGA) in peripheral nerve disorders, and to correlate them with neurophysiologic findings and anti-glycolipid antibodies.
Materials And Methods:
We examined tTGA immunoglobulin-A serum level from 220 patients with polyneuropathy (acute inflammatory: n=90; chronic inflammatory: n=56; non-inflammatory: n=74) and 110 with motor neuron disease (MND).
Results:
Seven of the 330 neurologic patients (2.1%, six with polyneuropathy and one with MND) were positive for tTGA. Sixty-one of the 330 neurologic patients (18.4%) had slightly increased tTGA values compared with healthy controls. Increased tTGA values were associated with greater impairment of neurophysiologic findings, but not with the presence of anti-glycolipid antibodies.
Conclusions:
We found a high prevalence of tTGA reactivity in patients with peripheral nerve disorders or MND. However, we were unable to demonstrate an increased risk of celiac disease in these diseases.
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