Point of care testing for paediatric coeliac disease in the new ESPGHAN era.

Michelle Shui Yee Lau, David S Sanders

One of the challenges in coeliac disease is the significant under-diagnosis despite the increasing prevalence and international guidelines for serological screening in appropriate patient cohorts. Several point-of-care tests for coeliac disease have been developed over the past decade with the aim of improving case detection using rapid and convenient testing. Most point-of-care tests, such as Biocard, detect anti-tissue transglutaminase (tTG) IgA antibodies, whereas Simtomax uniquely detects anti-deamidated gliadin peptide (DGP) IgA/IgG antibodies. A recent head-to-head trial in adults comparing two tTG-based point-of-care tests (Biocard and Celiac Quick Test) and Simtomax found that Simtomax was superior to Biocard and Celiac Quick Test, with sensitivities of 92.7%, 72.2% and 77.8%, respectively.