Elevated Enzyme Levels Revealed in Celiac Disease

A cytoplasmic enzyme, involved in the catabolism of purine bases, is increased in patients with celiac disease (CD).

The enzyme, adenosine deaminase (ADA), serum levels can be measured by an enzymatic spectrophotometric method using buffered adenosine. The ammonium ion released was determined by reaction with phenol nitroprusside in the presence of sodium hypochlorite.

Scientists at the Ankara Training and Research Hospital (Ankara, Turkey) studied the ADA levels in 20 patients diagnosed with CD and 21 normal control subjects. ADA activity was measured with the absorption at 628 nm in a CL-770 clinical spectrophotometer (Shimadzu Corporation; Kyoto, Japan).

Serum ADA levels were 15.0 ± 4.9 U/L for patients with CD and 9.3 ±1.2 U/L in the healthy control group; this difference was statistically significant. The mean level of ADA in female patients with CD was 14.8 ± 5.5 U/L and 15.7 ±1.5 U/l in men; the difference between the sexes was not significant. There was no statistically significant correlation between ADA and the other serum markers investigated such as red blood cell distribution width, white blood cell count, Antigliadin Immunoglobulin A or G (IgA or IgG), and endomysial antibody (EMA).

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune enteropathy that is triggered in susceptible individuals by the ingestion of gliadin-containing grains. Although the disorder is characterized by a different clinical heterogeneity that ranges from asymptomatic to severely symptomatic, it can be difficult to make a diagnosis based on clinical symptoms alone. Serological testing with EMA, transglutaminase antibody (tTG), and antigliadin antibodies has a well-established place in the diagnosis of CD, although definitive diagnosis always requires small bowel biopsy. In this study, serum ADA level was found to have high sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for CD. The study was published on September 10, 2010 in the Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis.

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Ankara Training and Research Hospital
Shimadzu Corporation