Simple Blood Test Can Detect Intestinal Disease

[Guest guest]

Simple Blood Test Can Detect Intestinal Disease

Fri Mar 15,10:36 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Cuban doctors have designed a simple 10-minute blood test to

diagnose people suffering from a

common intestinal disease caused by a protein found in cereals.

Instead of taking a biopsy, doctors at the Centre for Genetic Engineering and

Biotechnology in Havana are using a quick

and easy technique that recognizes antibodies in the blood to detect the

disorder.

" It is highly accurate in detection of untreated patients with coeliac disease, "

Dr. Sorell said in a letter to The Lancet

medical journal on Friday.

Coeliac disease is caused by an intolerance to gluten, which is found in wheat,

barley and rye. It causes bloating,

diarrhoea, stomach pain, fatigue and weight loss. Damage to the intestine can

lead to vitamin deficiency.

The only remedy is to avoid foods such as breads, cereals and any other products

that contain gluten.

In a test of 90 people the test correctly identified 50 individuals with coeliac

disease and produced negative results for

those without it.

Sorell said the test, called an immunochromatographic assay, is dipped in plasma

or serum and produces two dots for a

positive result and one dot if it is negative.

He added it could be useful for diagnosing the disease in high-risk groups such

as diabetics (news - web sites), people

with Down's Syndrome and autoimmune diseases and close relatives of coeliac

sufferers.