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Any comments on this? I received this from one of the autism lists I belong
to.

Vicki

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             Two Assays Are Better Than One For Diagnosis of Celiac Disease
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             WESTPORT, Jul 08 (Reuters Health) - Serologic assays for
antigliadin antibodies (AGA) and antiendomysium antibodies (EMA), when used
in combination, are highly sensitive and specific for the initial diagnosis
of celiac disease, Canadian investigators have found.

             "[T]he relative advantages of AGA versus EMA assays, their use
independently or in combination, and their value as an adjunct to small-bowel
biopsy are still debated," Dr. Pierre A. Russo and colleagues from Hopital
Ste-Justine and the University of Montreal, Quebec, write in the journal
Pediatrics for July.

             In a prospective, comparative analysis of the two assays, Dr.
Russo's team found it most effective to combine the two. A combination of AGA
and EMA assays "...resulted in 100% sensitivity and 100% negative predictive
value, [and is] useful in selecting patients for duodenal biopsy," they
report.

             Their study involved 95 pediatric patients with suspected celiac
disease referred for duodenal biopsy. Twenty-four of these patients had
celiac disease "...by criteria of the European Society for Pediatric
Gastroenterology and Nutrition.

             Because neither test alone had a specificity of 100%, Dr.
Russo's group recommends small-bowel biopsy to confirm a diagnosis of celiac
disease, "...given the lifelong implications of following a strict
gluten-free diet."

             Furthermore, the investigators say, the combined use of AGA and
EMA permits physicians to "...select patients for confirmatory biopsy when
either test is positive." When both tests are negative, physicians may
"...reconsider the investigation, delay the biopsy, or simply follow the
patients...given the negative predictive value of 100%."

             Pediatrics 1999;104:75-78.>>