[IgA anti-endomysium antibodies in dermatitis herpetiformis: a sensitive marker of gluten enteropathy].

The paper reports the results of a preliminary study using indirect immunofluorescent methods on serum samples from 20 patients affected by dermatitis herpetiformis in various phases of development and from 7 patients affected by celiac disease in order to document the presence of anti-endomysium IgA antibodies. Serum samples from 10 patients affected by bullous pemphigoid, 1 patients with linear IgA dermatitis and 10 patients with other bullous dermatosis were included as controls. Whereas the presence of these antibodies in varying titres, ranging from 1:10 to 1:80, was confirmed in all case of dermatitis herpetiformis, no antibody activity was observed in control patients. On the basis of these findings and of other published data, it is possible to conclude that these antibodies are directly correlated to intestinal damage, but there is no relationship with the clinical characteristics of skin symptoms or with junctional immunopathological evidence.