Epilepsy, cerebral calcifications, and gluten-related disorders: Are anti-transglutaminase 6 antibodies the missing link?

• Published in: Seizure (London, England) Vol. 73; pp. 17 - 20
• Main Authors: Ferlazzo, Edoardo, Polidoro, Serena, Gobbi, Giuseppe, Gasparini, Sara, Sueri, Chiara, Cianci, Vittoria, Sofia, Vito, Giuliano, Loretta, Giallonardo, Anna Teresa, Di Bonaventura, Carlo, Casciato, Sara, Messana, Tullio, Coppola, Antonietta, Striano, Salvatore, Bilo, Leonilda, Monoriti, Marika, Genovese, Giuseppe, Sarica, Paola, Arcudi, Luciano, Aguglia, Umberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2019
• Subjects: Adult; Autoantibodies - blood; Autoantigens - immunology; Brain - pathology; Brain Diseases - complications; Brain Diseases - immunology; Calcinosis - complications; Calcinosis - immunology; Celiac Disease - complications; Celiac Disease - immunology; Coeliac disease; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diet; Epilepsy - complications; Epilepsy - immunology; Female; Gluten; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Seizures; Transglutaminases; Transglutaminases - immunology; Transglutaminases; Diet; Coeliac disease; Gluten; Seizures
• ISSN: 1059-1311; 1532-2688; 1532-2688
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seizure.2019.10.012

•Transglutaminase 6 antibodies (anti-TG6) are considered a biomarker for gluten-related ataxia and neuropathy.•We evaluated anti-TG6 prevalence in patients with epilepsies with cerebral calcifications.•Anti-TG6 do not seem to be associated to epilepsies with cerebral calcifications. Gluten-related disorders (GRDs) are a group of immune-mediated diseases often associated to neurologic manifestations. Epilepsies with cerebral calcifications, with or without coeliac disease (CD), are rare neurological disorders characterized by childhood-onset focal seizures, often refractory to antiepileptic drugs. Transglutaminase 6 antibodies (anti-TG6) have been considered a biomarker for gluten-related ataxia and neuropathy, but their prevalence in epilepsies with cerebral calcifications is unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate anti-TG6 prevalence in patients with epilepsies and cerebral calcifications. this was a cross-sectional study conducted at five Italian epilepsy centres. The following groups were included. Group 1: nine patients with CD, posterior cerebral calcifications and epilepsy (CEC); group 2: nine patients with epilepsy and posterior cerebral calcifications, without CD; group 3: twenty patients with focal epilepsy of unknown etiology; group 4: twenty-two healthy controls (HC). All subjects were tested for serological evidence of anti-TG6 IgA and IgG. Differences among groups were analysed using χ ² test. anti-TG6 were present in 1/9 subjects (11%) of group 1, 2/9 subjects (22%) of group 2, 0/20 subjects in group 3, 3/22 (13.6%) of HC. No significant difference was found among the 4 groups. Anti-TG6 do not seem to be associated to epilepsies with cerebral calcifications.