Enzyme immunoassay for the qualitative and quantitative determination of IgA antibodies against gliadin in human serum. Celiac disease (synonyme: gluten-sensitive enteropathy) affects the upper small intestine and is caused by a hypersensitive reaction to gluten, a set of proteins present in many kinds of cereal grain, e.g. wheat, oats, barley and rye. Its morphological manifestation, the more or less complete atrophy of the villi, leads to malabsorption problems, e.g. chronic vitamin deficiency. Celiac disease is frequently not detected and anemia or chronical fatigue and depressions are signs of a latent disposition. Antibodies against gliadin, a component of gluten, and tissue transglutaminase (tTG) are of major significance in the diagnosis of celiac disease. tTG has been identified as the major target antigen of EMA, antibodies binding to endomysium in indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Antibodies to gliadin may be the only serological marker in neonatals, as autoantibodies to tTG or EMA are not present at this age. Consequently anti-gliadin antibodies are the earliest serological marker for pediatricians when diagnosing celiac disease