Pediatrics Assignment Practice Exam

The main concept is that the first-line serologic screen for suspected celiac disease in children is an IgA antibody test against tissue transglutaminase, because it is highly sensitive and specific. Measuring total IgA at the same time is important because some kids have selective IgA deficiency; if total IgA is low, a negative tTG IgA could be misleading, and IgG-based tests (or tTG IgG) may be used instead. Other options like anti-nuclear antibodies or ESR are nonspecific and not used to screen for celiac disease. Anti-DGP antibodies exist as an alternative, especially when IgA deficiency is present, but the best initial screen remains tTG IgA with total IgA.