Aim: To assess the level of undiagnosed coeliac disease (CD) in relatives of patients affected by the condition.
Methods: We collected blood from 914 relatives of probands. We screened these individuals by ELISA for IgA and IgG tTG antibodies, confirming any positive IgA tTG results with an IgA EMA and looked for evidence of IgA deficiency in those who were IgG tTG positive alone, and performed IgG1 EMA in these individuals. We undertook HLA typing where positive screening was found, and this confirmed a strong prevalence of HLA-DQ2 in the coeliac population. Follow-up small intestinal biopsy was undertaken in cases with positive serological screening, wherever possible.
Results: Use of this serological screening algorithm revealed a prevalence of undiagnosed CD in 5%-6% of first degree relatives of probands.
Conclusion: Our data suggests that first degree relatives of individuals with CD should be screened for this condition.