Intestinal and serum antibody in coeliac disease: a comparison using ELISA

Intestinal and serum antibody to antigens derived from gluten and other food proteins in 16 children with coeliac disease and 15 control subjects was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). High concentrations of antibody to gluten antigens were found in children with coeliac disease who were on a diet which contained gluten. This antibody was predominantly in the IgA and IgM classes in intestinal fluid, and in the IgG and IgA classes in serum. When coeliac children transferred to a gluten-free diet for 6 months or more, anti-gluten antibody fell much more rapidly in serum than in intestinal fluid. Although no single measure of antibody, in any immunoglobulin class, to a gluten-derived antigen proved sufficiently discriminating to be suggested as a diagnostic test for coeliac disease, serum antibody, particularly in the IgA class, may be of value in following the progress of patients and in assessing their adherence to a gluten-free diet.