High frequency of antigliadin antibodies and absence of antireticulin and antiendomysium antibodies in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Several authors have described an association between celiac disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), but this has not yet been established. The aim of our study was to examine the frequency of antigliadin antibodies (AGA), antireticulin antibodies (ARA) and antiendomysium (AEM) antibodies in the sera of patients with UC (n = 50), and to evaluate their correlation with clinical variables. Sixteen patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and 37 healthy individuals served as controls. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used for the detection of IgA- and IgG-type AGA. IgG-type ARA were determined by an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IIF) using rat kidney, liver, and stomach as antigen substrates. IgA-type AEM antibodies were measured by IIF, using cryostat sections from human umbilical cord. Seventeen of the 50 patients with UC (34%) were positive for IgA- or/and IgG-type AGA. There was no correlation between the presence of AGA and the duration or extent of the disease, or disease activity. However, 5 patients with both IgA- and IgG-types of AGA had extensive colitis. Only 2 controls (4%) were positive for IgG-AGA. ARA and AEM were not detected in any individuals studied. Since the ARA and AEM test results were negative, we conclude that none of the UC patients in this series had CD.