Fingerstick Test for Celiac Disease

A new test for celiac disease (CD) will be particularly useful to the sufferers of classical celiac disease who are unaware of their condition because they do not have the signs and symptoms typically associated with CD. They have a risk of developing full-blown CD later in life, along with such complications as bowel cancer, infertility, and autoimmune diseases.

The new test, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), does not require a blood draw. Using a specimen collection kit, medical professionals and patients alike can simply prick the end of a finger to collect a tiny sample of blood for use in the test. An analysis known as an IgA tissue transglutaminase (tTG) autoantibody assay is then performed, and results are available within 10 days. A detected increase in the antibody levels indicates the probability of celiac disease. The test was developed by York Nutritional Laboratories (Hollywood, FL, USA).

"This entire noninvasive process is far less expensive and much more convenient than the intestinal biopsy procedure used in the past,” said Martha Gonzalez, operations manager of York.