A 32-year-old woman presents to the clinic complaining of a -month history of fatigue, abdominal bloating, and frequent, bulky, foul-smelling bowel movements. She has not traveled recently and reports no blood in her stool. Her past medical history is notable for type 1 diabetes mellitus. Vital signs are within normal limits. Physical examination reveals mild conjunctival pallor but is otherwise unremarkable. Laboratory studies show a hemoglobin of and a mean corpuscular volume of . Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in diagnosis?
- Measurement of serum tissue transglutaminase IgA and total IgA levelsCevap
- BEmpiric initiation of a gluten-free diet
- CEmpiric administration of oral ciprofloxacin
- DMeasurement of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone
- EColonoscopy with random mucosal biopsies
Cevap
The most appropriate next step in diagnosis is the measurement of serum tissue transglutaminase IgA and total IgA levels.
This patient's chronic osmotic diarrhea, bloating, and iron deficiency anemia (microcytosis with pallor), especially in the context of another autoimmune disease (type 1 diabetes mellitus), strongly suggest celiac disease. The best initial diagnostic step is serologic testing with IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG-IgA) antibodies. A total IgA level must be checked simultaneously because selective IgA deficiency is common in patients with celiac disease; if the patient is IgA deficient, IgG-based testing (like deamidated gliadin peptide IgG) is required to avoid a false negative.
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Initial evaluation of suspected celiac disease requires measurement of serum tissue transglutaminase IgA (tTG-IgA) and total IgA levels while the patient is consuming a gluten-containing diet.