BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to analyze the degree of correlationbetween the presence of serum antiendomysial antibodies and villous atrophy in small intestine mucosain patients with celiac disease. MATERIAL/METHODS: Retrospective analysis carried out in a group of 88children and young adults (28 males, 60 females aged from 2 to 23) hospitalized in the Clinic from 1990to the present with positive results of serum antiendomysial antibody test performed because of suspectedceliac disease. The IgA - EmA test was performed after determination of whole IgA level in the serumusing indirect immunofluorescence technique with monkey esophagus as an antigen. All patients underwentendoscopic small intestine biopsy with histopathological assessment of mucosal bioptates using standardhematoxylin and eosin staining. RESULTS: The serum levels of IgA in all investigated patients were normal.The levels of antiendomysial antibodies expressed in IF units ranged from 10 to 40960. Histopathologicalassessment of small intestine mucosal bioptates revealed partial (in 13.6% of patients) or total (in86.4% of patients) villous atrophy. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated complete correlation betweenthe presence of serum antiendomysial antibodies and villous atrophy in the small intestine mucosa.

Keywords: Adolescent, Biological Markers, celiac disease, Child, Child, Preschool, Immunoglobulin A, Intestinal Mucosa, Intestine, Small