[Association between anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody titers and duodenal histopathology among adults with...

To evaluate the association between serum anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody (anti-tTG) titers and the severity of histological damage to the duodenal mucosa and to predict a possible anti-tTG cutoff value for diagnosing celiac disease (CD) and villous atrophy in the domestic population. Clinical and pathological data from 76 adult CD patients with positive anti-tTG titers and duodenal biopsy results who were treated at the People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from July 2017 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The correlation between anti-tTG titers and the severity of duodenal mucosal damage was statistically assessed to predict the optimal anti-tTG titer cut-off value for diagnosing CD and villous atrophy. Of the 76 patients, 10 had underlying CD, and of the 66 patients with duodenal histopathology, four were Marsh Ⅰ, six were Marsh Ⅱ, and 56 were Marsh Ⅲa-c grade. In adults with CD, anti-tTG titers were shown to be associated with the severity of histological damage to the duodenal mucosa. When the anti-tTG level was ≥5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN), the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing CD were 83.9% and 92.9%, respectively. When the anti-tTG titer was ≥8 times the ULN, the sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing villous atrophy were 67.9% and 90.0%, respectively. Anti-tTG levels had a strong predictive value for diagnosing CD in adults when titers exceeded 10 times the ULN. Thus, the anti-tTG cut-off value can be combined with clinical judgment to diagnose CD, limiting the use of invasive endoscopy.