Estimation of (IgA) anti-gliadin, anti-endomysium and tissue transglutaminase in the serum of patients with psoriasis.

Studies have indicated an association between psoriasis and coeliac disease (CD), an immune-mediated gluten-dependent enteropathy; however, the precise relationship between psoriasis and CD remains controversial. We aimed to assess the prevalence of the CD-associated IgA antibodies antigliadin antibody (AGA), tissue transglutaminase (tTG) and antiendomysium antibody (EMA) in patients with psoriasis. In total, 41 patients with psoriasis and 41 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Blood samples were taken from all participants, and screened for AGA, tTG and EMA. We found a significantly higher level of AGA in patients with psoriasis than in controls, but levels of tTG and EMA were not significant. There was also a significantly higher prevalence of AGA, tTG and EMA in the patient group (34.1%, 34.1% and 14.6%, respectively) than in the control group (2.4%, 22% and 4.9%, respectively). We conclude that the significantly high prevalence of AGA antibodies in patients with psoriasis supports the possibility of a link between psoriasis and gluten-sensitive enteropathies, especially CD.