DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY OF THE RAPID ANTI-TISSUE TRANSGLUTAMINASE TEST: The Slovenian experience

Key words: Coeliac disease, Rapid test, Diet compliance,

The rapid test for coeliac disease (CD) has been used in the north-east region of Slovenia in the past two years. The Authors report an experience involving 200 subjects that were either suspected to have CD or known to be coeliacs. They evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of the test by comparing the results of the rapid test to EMA antibodies. Overall, 33 new celiacs have been identified, they followed 32 CD patients that came to follow up and 135 controls. The estimated sensibility of the study in diagnosing CD was 79%, the specificity 97%. The specificity increased to 91% if the result was read after 10 minutes, instead of the 5 minutes indicated by the producer. The Authors suggest that the rapid test is accurate in identifying new CD patients, but has limited usefulness in evaluating the compliance of the patient to the diet. In some cases the test should be read after 10 minutes to correctly evaluate the result.