Anti Reticulin IgA (IFA)
Sample: Serum
Schedule: Daily
Units: Titer
Range: Negative
Remarks: IgA anti reticulin antibody is found in patients with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis. Celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis are related disorders categorized as the "Gluten related Enteropathies". Gluten enteropathy is characterized as a non-allergic hypersensitivity to gluten or storage proteins found in wheat and other cereals. This hypersensitivity causes intestinal villous atrophy (flattening) and its physiologic consequence, malabsorption. Although final diagnosis often requires jejunal biopsy, the serologic tests for anti smooth muscle, endomysium, reticulin, and somes times gliadin are quite useful in diagnosing the diseases. These antibodies are found in 25% of patients with dermatitis herpetiformis and 60% of celiac disease patients. On the other hand, IgG class reticulin antibodies are occasionally found in other disease states, especially bullous dermatoses and in some normal subjects.
