There's a new hope for people with Celiac disease: diagnosis may be as simple as a blood test.
While a gluten-free diet can be pursued by everyone, those who have Celiac disease avoid it at all costs. This disease is an autoimmune reaction caused by the wrong interpretation of the body's immune system to a protein called gluten.
When a person eats food, it is broken into very small amounts and travels through the small intestines where the fractions are clustered in HLA molecules. These molecules are then "checked" by the T cells, which form part of the immune system. Celiac disease sufferers have T cells that think gluten found in food is a threat such as bacteria or virus they have to get rid of. Thus, the T cells damage the tissues and the linings of the intestinal wall. Over time, this can lead to poor absorption of nutrients, difficulty in gaining weight, and other complex symptoms and diseases. Further, sufferers who accidentally eat gluten can experience bloating and intense abdominal pain, to name a few.
To diagnose the disease, it needs an uncomfortable exam called gastroscopy where a thin long tube is inserted from the mouth into the duodenum, the first section of the small intestine, to collect tissue samples while gluten food is consumed.
A team of Norwegian researchers wanted to change that by working on a blood test for diagnosis. It would simply require the drawing of blood from the patient and the introduction of a reagent made up of gluten and HLA molecules. Magnetized antibodies will also be used to attach themselves to the reagent.
The blood sample with the reagent and the magnetized antibodies will then go through a magnetic column. If the patient has Celiac, the gluten-reactive cells will be suspended while the others will simply pass through it.
Currently the group is carrying out a clinical trial among diverse groups, including patients with Celiac, people with similar symptoms as Celiac, and healthy individuals with no Celiac.
