Correlation of Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase Antibodies With the Mucosal Changes and IgA Status of Children With Celiac Disease.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to assess the association between serological markers and changes of the intestinal mucosa in children with celiac disease (CD).

METHODS

Clinical data from CD patients under 15 years old were collected from the participating centers in an on-line multicenter nationwide observational Spanish registry called REPAC-2 (2011-2017). Correlation between anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (t-TGA) levels and other variables, including mucosal damage and clinical findings (symptoms, age, and gender), was assessed.

RESULTS

A total of 2955 of 4838 patients had t-TGA and a small bowel biopsy (SBB) performed for CD diagnosis. A total of 1931 (66.2%) patients with normal IgA values had a Marsh 3b-c lesion and 1892 (64.9%) had t-TGA Immunoglobulin A (IgA) ≥ 10 times upper limit of normal (ULN). There is a statistically significant association between t-TGA IgA levels and the degree of mucosal damage ( P < 0.001), the higher the t-TGA IgA levels the more severe the mucosal damage. Those patients who reported symptoms had more severe mucosal damage ( P = 0.001). On the contrary, there was a negative association between age and changes of the intestinal mucosa ( P < 0.001). No association was found with gender. Regarding the IgA-deficient patients, 47.4% (18 cases) had t-TGA Immunoglobulin A (IgA) ≥ 10 times ULN and a Marsh 3b-c lesion was observed in 68.4% (26 patients). No statistical relation was found between t-TGA IgG levels and the changes of the intestinal mucosa, neither a relation with age, gender, or symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a positive correlation between t-TGA IgA levels and the severity of changes of the intestinal mucosa. Such correlation was not found in IgA-deficient patients who had positive t-TGA IgG serology. The results in this group of patients support the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition recommendations about the need of performing a SBB in IgA-deficient individuals despite high t-TGA IgG levels.