What Is the Yield of Serologic Screening for Celiac Disease in the U.S.?

Some authorities advocate routine screening for celiac disease. To determine the prevalence of celiac disease in an unselected U.S. cohort, researchers screened 3850 adults (mean age, 57; nearly all white) who attended a health screening fair in Wyoming.

All people were tested initially for serum tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies; in the 75 people with positive results, endomysial IgA antibodies were measured. Thirty-one people (0.8% of the cohort) had positive results on both tests (serologic evidence of celiac disease). Eighteen of the 31 seropositive people agreed to undergo endoscopic small bowel biopsy, and 17 had histologic evidence of celiac disease. All participants at the screening fair completed gastrointestinal-symptom questi…