Underutilization of diagnostic assays for celiac disease in Korea

Background Test utilization for the diagnosis of celiac disease may affect the prevalence and incidence of the disease in Korea. We aimed to investigate the test utilization of serological biomarkers for celiac disease in Korea. Methods We retrospectively investigated the test utilization of tissue transglutaminase IgA, gliadin IgA and IgG, and endomysial IgA antibody (Ab) assays between January 2011 and June 2020. Results During a nine-year-and-six-month study period, overall 307,322,606 clinical tests were requested from different clinical settings, such as local clinics, hospitals, university hospitals, and tertiary medical centers. Among them, only 58 tissue transglutaminase IgA, 22 gliadin IgA, 12 gliadin IgG, and 16 endomysial IgA Ab tests were performed on 79 Korean patients. Among them, one patient had positive transglutaminase IgA Ab result (1.3%). Conclusion Low prevalence and incidence of celiac disease in Korea may be due to an underutilization of diagnostic assays.

Automated summary

The low prevalence and incidence of celiac disease in Korea may be attributed to the underutilization of diagnostic assays, as indicated by the low number of serological biomarker tests conducted on Korean patients during the study period.