Estudio multicéntrico de conciliación de la medicación en onco-hematología pediátrica / Multicentre study of medication reconciliation in paediatric onco-hematology

Objetivo determinar la prevalencia de errores de conciliación (EC) al ingreso hospitalario en la población pediátrica onco-hematológica para comprobar si ésta presenta una susceptibilidad similar a la de los adultos para ser afectados por estos EC y describir las características de los pacientes en los que se producen.Métodoestudio prospectivo y multicéntrico de 12 meses de duración, de conciliación de medicación al ingreso en la población pediátrica onco-hematológica para evaluar la incidencia de EC y describir las características de los pacientes en los que se producen.Resultadosse concilió la medicación de 157 pacientes. En 96 pacientes se detectó al menos una discrepancia de la medicación. De las discrepancias detectadas, el 52,1% fueron justificadas por la nueva situación clínica del paciente o por el médico responsable mientras que el 48,9% se consideraron EC. El tipo de EC más frecuente fue la «omisión de algún medicamento», seguido por «una dosis, frecuencia o vía de administración diferente». Se efectuaron un total de 77 intervenciones farmacéuticas, de las que se aceptaron el 94,2%. En el grupo de pacientes con un número igual o mayor a 4 fármacos en tratamiento domiciliario se observó un incremento de 2,1 veces la probabilidad de experimentar un EC.Conclusionespara evitar o reducir los errores en uno de los puntos críticos de seguridad como son las transiciones asistenciales, existen medidas, como la conciliación de la medicación. En el caso de los pacientes pediátricos crónicos complejos, como los pacientes onco-hematológicos, el número de fármacos como parte del tratamiento domiciliario es la variable que se ha asociado a la presencia de EC al ingreso hospitalario, siendo la omisión de algún medicamento la causa principal de estos errores. (AU)

Objective To determine the prevalence of reconciliation errors (RE) on admission to hospital in the paediatric onco-haematological population in order to check whether they are similarly susceptible to these RE as adults and to describe the characteristics of the patients who suffer them.MethodsA 12-month prospective, multicentre study of medication reconciliation on admission in the paediatric onco-haematological population to assess the incidence of RE and describe the characteristics of the patients in whom they occur.ResultsMedication reconciliation was performed in 157 patients. At least 1 medication discrepancy was detected in 96 patients. Of the discrepancies detected, 52.1% were justified by the patient's new clinical situation or by the physician, while 48.9% were determined to be RE. The most frequent type of RE was the "omission of a medication", followed by "a different dose, frequency or route of administration". A total of 77 pharmaceutical interventions were carried out, 94.2% of which were accepted. In the group of patients with a number equal to or greater than 4 drugs in home treatment, there was a 2.1-fold increase in the probability of suffering a RE.ConclusionsIn order to avoid or reduce errors in one of the critical safety points such as transitions of care, there are measures such as medication reconciliation. In the case of complex chronic paediatric patients, such as onco-haematological patients, the number of drugs as part of home treatment is the variable that has been associated with the presence of medication RE on admission to hospital, with the omission of some medication being the main cause of these errors. (AU)

Conciliación de la medicación al ingreso en paciente crónico pediátrico: estudio multicéntrico / Medication reconciliation at admission in paediatric patients with chronic illness: A multicentre study

Introducción: La conciliación de la medicación (CM) es una de las principales estrategias para disminuir los errores de medicación en las transiciones asistenciales. En España existen publicadas diferentes guías con recomendaciones para la implantación y el desarrollo de la CM orientadas a la población adulta, sin estar los pacientes pediátricos incluidos. En el año 2018 se llevó a cabo un estudio que permitió la posterior publicación de un documento con criterios de selección de pacientes pediátricos en los que priorizar la CM. Objetivos: Describir las características de los pacientes pediátricos con mayor probabilidad de sufrir errores de conciliación (EC), para confirmar si los resultados de un estudio previo son extrapolables. Metodología: Estudio prospectivo y multicéntrico con pacientes pediátricos ingresados. Se analizaron los EC detectados durante la realización de la CM al ingreso. La mejor historia farmacoterapéutica posible del paciente fue obtenida utilizando diferentes fuentes de información y confirmándose con una entrevista con el paciente/cuidador. Resultados: Se detectaron 1.043 discrepancias, determinándose como EC 544, afectando a 317 pacientes (43%). La omisión de algún medicamento fue el error más común (51%). La mayoría de los EC se asociaron con los medicamentos de los grupos A (31%), N (23%) y R (11%) de la clasificación ATC. La polimedicación y la enfermedad de base onco-hematológica fueron los factores de riesgo asociados a la presencia de EC con significación estadística. Conclusiones: Los hallazgos de este estudio permiten priorizar la CM en un grupo concreto de pacientes pediátricos, favoreciendo la eficiencia del proceso. Los pacientes onco-hematológicos y la polimedicación se confirman como los principales factores de riesgo para la aparición de EC en la población pediátrica.(AU)

Introduction: Medication reconciliation (MR) is one of the main strategies used to reduce medication errors in care transitions. In Spain, several guidelines have been published with recommendations for the implementation and development of MR processes aimed at the adult population, and not applicable to paediatric patients. In 2018, a study was carried out that allowed the subsequent publication of a document establishing criteria for the selection of paediatric patients in whom CM should be prioritised. Objectives: To describe the characteristics of the paediatric patients most likely to be subject to reconciliation errors (REs) to confirm whether the results of a previous study could be extrapolated. Methodology: Prospective, multicentre study in paediatric inpatients. We analysed the REs detected in the MR at the time of admission. We obtained the best possible medication history of the patient using different sources of information, subsequently confirmed through an interview with the patient/caregiver. Results: 1043 discrepancies were detected, of which 544 were categorised as REs, affecting 317 patients (43%). Omission of a drug was the most common error (51%). Most REs involved drugs in groups A (31%), N (23%) and R (11%) of the ATC classification. Polypharmacy and oncological/haematological disease were the risk factors that exhibited a statistically significant association with the occurrence of REs. Conclusions: The findings of this study allow the prioritisation of MR in a specific group of paediatric patients, contributing to improve the efficiency of the process. Oncological/haematological disease and polypharmacy were confirmed as the main risk factors for the occurrence of REs in the paediatric population.(AU)

Medication reconciliation on admission in paediatric chronic patients: A multicentre study.

INTRODUCTION: Medication reconciliation (MC) is one of the main strategies to reduce medication errors in care transitions. In Spain, several guidelines have been published with recommendations for the implementation and development of MC aimed at the adult population, although paediatric patients are not included. In 2018, a study was carried out that led to the subsequent publication of a document with criteria for selecting paediatric patients in whom CM should be prioritised. OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics of paediatric patients most likely to suffer from errors of reconciliation (EC), to confirm whether the results of a previous study can be extrapolated. METHODOLOGY: Prospective, multicentre study of paediatric inpatients. We analysed the CE detected during the performance of the CM on admission. The best possible pharmacotherapeutic history of the patient was obtained using different sources of information and confirmed by an interview with the patient/caregiver. RESULTS: 1043 discrepancies were detected, 544 were identified as CD, affecting 317 patients (43%). Omission of a drug was the most common error (51%). The majority of CD were associated with drugs in groups A (31%), N (23%) and R (11%) of the ATC classification. Polymedication and onco-haematological based disease were the risk factors associated with the presence of CD with statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study allow prioritisation of CM in a specific group of paediatric patients, favouring the efficiency of the process. Onco-haematological patients and polymedication are confirmed as the main risk factors for the appearance of CD in the paediatric population.

[Translated article] Medication reconciliation in pediatric hemato-oncologic patients: A multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of reconciliation errors on admission to hospital in the pediatric onco-hematological population in order to check whether they are similarly susceptible to these reconciliation errors as adults and to describe the characteristics of the patients who suffer them. METHODS: A 12-month prospective, multicentre study of medication reconciliation on admission in the pediatric onco-hematological population to assess the incidence of reconciliation errors and to describe the characteristics of the patients. RESULTS: Medication reconciliation was performed in 157 patients. At least a medication discrepancy was detected in 96 patients. Of the discrepancies detected, 52.1% were related to patient's new clinical situation or by the physician, while 48.9% were determined to be reconciliation errors. The most frequent type of reconciliation error was the "omission of a medication", followed by "a different dose, frequency or route of administration". A total of 77 pharmaceutical interventions were carried out, 94.2% of which were accepted. In the group of patients with a number equal to or greater than 4 drugs in home treatment, there was a 2.1-fold increase in the probability of suffering a reconciliation error. CONCLUSIONS: In order to avoid or reduce errors in one of the critical safety points such as transitions of care, there are measures such as medication reconciliation. In the case of complex chronic pediatric patients, such as onco-hematological patients, the number of drugs as part of home treatment is the variable that has been associated with the presence of medication reconciliation errors on admission to hospital, and the omission of some medication was the main cause of these errors.

Multicentre study of medication reconciliation in paediatric onco-hematology. / Estudio multicéntrico de conciliación de la medicación en onco-hematología pediátrica.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of reconciliation errors (RE) on admission to hospital in the paediatric onco-haematological population in order to check whether they are similarly susceptible to these RE as adults and to describe the characteristics of the patients who suffer them. METHODS: A 12-month prospective, multicentre study of medication reconciliation on admission in the paediatric onco-haematological population to assess the incidence of RE and describe the characteristics of the patients in whom they occur. RESULTS: Medication reconciliation was performed in 157 patients. At least 1 medication discrepancy was detected in 96 patients. Of the discrepancies detected, 52.1% were justified by the patient's new clinical situation or by the physician, while 48.9% were determined to be RE. The most frequent type of RE was the "omission of a medication", followed by "a different dose, frequency or route of administration". A total of 77 pharmaceutical interventions were carried out, 94.2% of which were accepted. In the group of patients with a number equal to or greater than 4 drugs in home treatment, there was a 2.1-fold increase in the probability of suffering a RE. CONCLUSIONS: In order to avoid or reduce errors in one of the critical safety points such as transitions of care, there are measures such as medication reconciliation. In the case of complex chronic paediatric patients, such as onco-haematological patients, the number of drugs as part of home treatment is the variable that has been associated with the presence of medication RE on admission to hospital, with the omission of some medication being the main cause of these errors.

Criteria for the selection of paediatric patients susceptible to reconciliation error.

OBJECTIVES: Many medication errors occur during care transitions, which are critical points for patient safety. There is strong evidence in favour of medication reconciliation as a strategy to avoid errors in adults, though few studies have been made in the paediatric setting. Likewise, no recommendations have been established for the selection and/or prioritisation of paediatric patients amenable to reconciliation. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted involving patients subjected to reconciliation by a pharmacist on admission to hospital and who experienced at least one reconciliation error between January and November 2018. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify possible factors associated with reconciliation error, using a logistic regression model to determine the odds ratio (OR) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI). RESULTS: The group of patients with at least one reconciliation error included 334 patients, compared with the group of patients without reconciliation errors, which included 1426 patients. It was determined that schoolchildren and adolescent patients had a risk of presenting a reconciliation error on hospital admission that was more than double for younger patients (OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.26 to 4.25, and OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.44 to 4.99, respectively). This risk was multiplied by five if we compared polymedicated patients versus non-polymedicated patients (OR 4.48, 95% CI 3.35 to 5.99). Patients with a neurological or onco-haematological underlying disease had a 12 and 10 times higher risk of presenting a reconciliation error compared with patients with other types of underlying diseases (OR 11.97, 95% CI 7.57 to 18.92, and OR 9.96, 95% CI 6.09 to 16.28, respectively). Finally, patients with narrow therapeutic index medicines in their usual treatment had an almost three times greater risk of presenting a reconciliation error when admitted to the hospital, although this last factor was not determined as an independent risk factor as for the others (OR 2.98, 95% CI 2.22 to 3.99). CONCLUSIONS: The paediatric population is characterised by a number of risk factors for reconciliation error. Knowledge of these factors can allow the prioritisation of medication reconciliation in a concrete group of patients. In order to generalise the results obtained in this study, they must be confirmed in other paediatric care settings involving larger samples and different types of patients.

Strongyloides stercoralis with Gastroduodenal Involvement and Complicated with SIADH: An Unusual Diagnosis to Consider in Immunosuppressed Patients with Hyperemesis and Eosinophilia.

Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal nematode that colonizes and reproduces in the upper small intestinal mucosa. Infection in immunocompetent hosts is self-limited but in immunocompromised patients it can be complicated and cause hyperinfection. We present a 60-year-old female who was admitted due to an exacerbation of acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura requiring high doses of corticosteroids. The patient began to experience persistent pyrosis, nausea, vomiting, and oral intolerance. She was di-agnosed with syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). Upper endoscopy was performed and showed esophageal, gastric, and duodenal mucosa with edema and erythema. Moreover, there were superficial erosions and thickened folds in duodenum. Gastric and duodenal biopsies were taken. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic enteroresonance displayed duodenal dilation and inflammatory changes. The histological study of biopsies showed colonization by S. stercolaris in the antrum and duodenum. S. stercolaris is a human parasite that is endemic in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions. Its lifecycle is complex because it completes its entire cycle within the human host; it penetrates the skin, migrates to the lungs, and reach the gastrointestinal tract. The most affected site is the duodenum and upper jejunum. The lifecycle includes autoinfection through the intestinal mucosa or perianal skin, especially in immunocompromised hosts. Immunossuppression can lead to hyperinfection syndrome and disseminated disease. However, involvement of the stomach has relatively rarely been reported. SIADH has been related to systemic hyperinfection, although the mechanism is not clear. The relatively nonspecific clinical and imaging features and the low sensitivity of routine parasite tests make the diagnosis challenging and delayed.

Strongyloides stercoralis é um nematódo intestinal que coloniza e se reproduz na mucosa do intestino delgado proximal. A infeção em hospedeiros imunocompetentes é auto-limitada mas em doentes imunocomprometidos pode ter um curso complicado e causar hiperinfeção. Apresentamos um caso de uma mulher de 60 anos que é admitida devido a uma exacerbação de uma púrpura trombocitopénica trombótica adquirida com necessidade de altas doses de corticoides. A doente inicia quadro de pirose persistente, náuseas, vómitos e intolerância alimentar. Faz-se o diagnóstico de síndrome de secreção inapropriada de hormona antidiurética (SIADH). A endoscopia digestiva alta evidencia mucosa gástrica e duodenal com edema e eritema, para além de erosões e pregas espessadas duodenais. O TC e a enteroRMN mostram dilatação duodenal e alterações inflamatórias. A histologia mostra S. stercoralis a colonizar a mucosa do antro e duodeno. O S. stercolaris é um parasita humano, endémico em regiões tropicais e subtropicais. Tem um ciclo de vida complexo já que completa o seu ciclo todo dentro do organismo humano: penetra pela pele, migra para os pulmões e atinge o trato gastrointestinal. Os sítios mais afetados são o duodeno e o jejuno proximal. O ciclo de vida envolve autoinfeção na mucosa intestinal ou pele perianal, especialmente em doentes imunocomprometidos, com a imunodepressão podendo levar a síndrome de hiperinfeção e doença disseminada. Contudo, o envolvimento gástrico é raramente descrito. O SIADH tem sido relacionado com o síndrome de hiperinfeção, contudo, o seu mecanismo não é claro. O relativo inespecífico quadro clínico e alterações imagiológicas, assim como a baixa sensibilidade dos testes de parasitas de rotina atrasam e fazem o diagnóstico desafiante.

Medication reconciliation upon admission in paediatric hospital setting: preliminary data.

Background The benefits of medication reconciliation are well established in adult patients, but not in paediatric patients, being a population not included in the guidelines for medication reconciliation published so far. However, it is known that a significant number of children suffer from chronic illnesses leading to a complex pharmacological treatment. Moreover, there are a series of specific factors that cause a greater risk of medication errors in children. Aim The purpose of the present study was to determine whether patients from a paediatric hospital setting may benefit from medication reconciliation at hospital admission, in order to prevent and reduce prescribing errors on admission. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was the number of discrepancies between best possible medication history and prescribed treatment upon admission and, consequently, number of reconciliation errors. The secondary outcome was the main underlying disease with the highest number of reconciliation errors, and the main pharmacotherapeutic groups involved. Results The pharmacist reconciled the medication of 187 patients with an mean age of 6.6 ± 5.1 years. Sixty percent of patients had a base disease and 12.3% had polypharmacy, with an average of 6 drugs per patient. In a 42% of patients, at least one discrepancy was detected between their home treatment and the prescribed treatment upon admission, with 15% of patients having at least one reconciliation error (68% omissions). Neurological diseases were the main underlying disease with at least one reconciliation error (50%). The main pharmacotherapeutic groups involved in reconciliation errors were psychoanaleptic and psycholeptic, anti-acids, antiepileptic, and obstructive airway pharmacotherapy; each accounting for a 17.1%, 14.7%, 11.8% and 11.8% of the total, respectively. Conclusion Within our sample of paediatric patients, the rate of medication discrepancy and reconciliation errors at hospital admission was as relevant in terms of pharmacotherapy as has been reported in adults. The most frequent type of errors was omission of some home treatments. The main underlying disease with at least one error was neurological. As a whole, the detection of reconciliation errors in paediatrics by provision of medication reconciliation could be effective in reducing medication errors.

Prevalence of celiac disease in multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Celiac disease (CD) is a common systemic disease related to a permanent intolerance to gluten and is often associated with different autoimmune and neurological diseases. Its mean prevalence in the general population is 1-2% worldwide. Our aim was to study the prevalence of celiac disease in a prospective series of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients and their first-degree relatives. METHODS: We analyzed the prevalence of serological, histological and genetic CD markers in a series of 72 MS patients and in their 126 first-degree relatives, compared to 123 healthy controls. RESULTS: Tissue IgA-anti-transglutaminase-2 antibodies were positive in 7 MS patients (10%), compared to 3 healthy controls (2.4%) (p < 0.05). OR: 5.33 (CI-95%: 1.074-26.425). No differences were found in HLA-DQ2 markers between MS patients (29%) and controls (26%) (NS).We detected mild or moderate villous atrophy (Marsh III type) in duodenal biopsies, in 8 MS patients (11.1%). We also found a high proportion of CD among first-degree relatives: 23/126 (32%). Several associated diseases were detected, mainly dermatitis 41 (57%) and iron deficiency anemia in 28 (39%) MS patients. We also found in them, an increased frequency of circulating auto-antibodies such as anti-TPO in 19 (26%), ANA in 11 (15%) and AMA in 2 (3%). CONCLUSIONS: We have found an increased prevalence of CD in 8 of the 72 MS patients (11.1%) and also in their first-degree relatives (23/126 [32%]). Therefore, increased efforts aimed at the early detection and dietary treatment of CD, among antibody-positive MS patients, are advisable.

Coeliac Disease in the 21st Century: No Longer "Kids' Stuff".

BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine if Coeliac disease (CD) can be still be considered a predominantly paediatric disorder, in spite of the increased incidence of adult-onset CD reported in recent years. METHODS: An observational, descriptive, and retrospective study was developed at two Spanish hospitals. Data was collected and analyzed from all paediatric and adult patients newly diagnosed with CD throughout the year 2010. CD diagnoses were based on a concordant clinical history, serology, HLA-DQ compatibility, the presence of mucosal lesions in duodenal biopsies with gluten dependence of symptoms, and histological lesions. RESULTS: A total of 79 patients were diagnosed with CD throughout 2010, of which 68 (86.1%) were adults. Classic symptoms (diarrhoea and iron-deficiency anaemia) were more frequent in children (90.9%), being present in only 54.4% of adults (p = 0.02). Adult patients showed, mainly, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, and GERD-related symptoms. Villous atrophy (Marsh III) was present in 63.7% of children, but only in 19.1% of adults (p = 0.004). Positive tTGA was present in 81.8% of the children and only in 19.1% of the adults (p = 0.004). Haemoglobin levels were significantly lower in children (p = 0.025), but no differences were observed in iron and ferritin blood levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that adult-onset CD was the predominant presentation in two hospitals in Spain in the year 2010. Therefore, CD can no longer be considered a predominantly paediatric disorder. Marsh I and negative tTGA titters are characteristic in most of adults. New diagnostic algorithms are needed to improve correct diagnosis of CD in adults.

Síndrome de Down y enfermedad celíaca del adulto asociadas: estudio de casos / Down’s syndrome and celiac disease in the adult: description of a series of nine cases

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Síndrome de Turner y enfermedad celíaca del adulto / Turner’s syndrome and adult celiac disease

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Duodenal biopsy may be avoided when high transglutaminase antibody titers are present.

AIM: To evaluate the predictive value of tissue transglutaminase (tTG) antibodies for villous atrophy in adult and pediatric populations to determine if duodenal biopsy can be avoided. METHODS: A total of 324 patients with celiac disease (CD; 97 children and 227 adults) were recruited prospectively at two tertiary centers. Human IgA class anti-tTG antibody measurement and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were performed at diagnosis. A second biopsy was performed in 40 asymptomatic adults on a gluten-free diet (GFD) and with normal tTG levels. RESULTS: Adults showed less severe histopathology (26% vs 63%, P < 0.0001) and lower tTG antibody titers than children. Levels of tTG antibody correlated with Marsh type in both populations (r = 0.661, P < 0.0001). Multiple logistic regression revealed that only tTG antibody was an independent predictor for Marsh type 3 lesions, but clinical presentation type and age were not. A cut-off point of 30 U tTG antibody yielded the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.854). Based on the predictive value of this cut-off point, up to 95% of children and 53% of adults would be correctly diagnosed without biopsy. Despite GFDs and decreased tTG antibody levels, 25% of the adults did not recover from villous atrophy during the second year after diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Strongly positive tTG antibody titers might be sufficient for CD diagnosis in children. However, duodenal biopsy cannot be avoided in adults because disease presentation and monitoring are different.

Respuesta de los autores: Sobre la negativa de los menores a recibir una transfusión sanguínea / Authors’ answer: On minors’ refusal to receive a blood transfusion

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MHC class I chain-related gene B promoter polymorphisms and celiac disease.

The possibility that susceptibility to celiac disease (CD) might be influenced by the MHC class I chain-related gene family, MICA and MICB, has been previously reported. In this study, we analyzed the MICB promoter and examined the association of the polymorphisms found within such in a group of CD patients. To study the MICB promoter we sequenced the 5' flanking region of MICB gene in DNA from homozygous B-lymphoblastoid cell lines corresponding to the most frequent MICB alleles found in our population (MICB*00502, MICB*002, MICB*004, and MICB*008). DNA from a MICB*003 homozygous individual was also analyzed. Sequence analysis revealed six single nucleotide polymorphisms located at positions 45860 C/A, 45862 G/C, 45877 C/G, 46113 A/C, 46219 G/C, and 46286 G/C and an insertion of 2 bp --/AG at position 45944 according to the published genomic sequence. Those polymorphisms were found to be associated in four different haplotypes corresponding to different MICB alleles. Subsequently, 126 CD subjects and 117 healthy controls were typed by polymerase chain reaction using sequence-specific primers for these polymorphisms. MICB promoter polymorphism haplotypes were also found in our population and showed strong linkage disequilibrium with MICB alleles. MICB promoter polymorphism Haplotype 3, included in MICB*002 and MICB*008 alleles, was found to be overrepresented in CD patients (79.4% CD patients vs 45.3% healthy controls; p(c) < 0.0001; OR = 4.64; CI 95% = 2.64-8.16). Both MICB*008 and MICB*002 alleles were found as part of the CD susceptibility extended haplotypes B8/DR3/DQ2, B18/DR3/DQ2, and DR4/DQ8.

Comparison of six human anti-transglutaminase ELISA-tests in the diagnosis of celiac disease in the Saharawi population.

AIM: Celiac disease (CD) is an enteropathic disorder very prevalent in Saharawi people. Our aim was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of six human tissue transglutaminase (tTG) based ELISA tests in Saharawi CD patients. METHODS: Fifty-two CD patients and 23 controls were selected from the Saharawi refugee camps in Tinduf. CD patients were divided into two groups according to their anti-endomysium (EmA) status: 41 EmA positive and 11 EmA negative. Sera from patients and controls were tested for human tTG using six commercial ELISA kits. We used receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves and areas under the curve to compare the diagnostic accuracies of the six assays. RESULTS: In general, there are differences in the sensitivity and specificity of the human tTG ELISA assays used. Diagnostic accuracy of tests was significantly improved by adjusting the cut-off thresholds according to ROC plot analysis; the correction of the cut-off with the employment of the ROC curve analysis modifies the decision limit in more than 50% in five of the six kits evaluated. CONCLUSION: Some of the human tTG ELISAs used in this study have a diagnostic accuracy similar to EmA determination for diagnosis of CD in Saharawi people. However, it is necessary to select the assay with a higher sensitivity and specificity, and recalculate the cut-off threshold using samples from the referral population.