Serum IgA class antigliadin antibodies (IgA-AGA) are increased in untreated 
patients with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), and it has been 
suggested that salivary IgA-AGA measurements could be used as a non-invasive 
screening test for gluten-sensitive enteropathy. In the present study salivary 
and serum IgA-AGA were measured by an ELISA test in 10 untreated patients with 
DH. The results were compared to IgA-AGA levels in nine patients with DH on a 
long-term gluten-free diet (GFD) and in 20 healthy control subjects on an 
ordinary diet. The mean serum but not salivary IgA-AGA concentrations were 
significantly higher in the untreated than in the patients with DH on a 
long-term GFD. When the 10 untreated patients with DH adhered to a GFD for 3 
months, the rash disappeared and the mean serum IgA-AGA decreased to normal 
levels, but no change was found in the mean salivary IgA-AGA concentration. 
These results show that serum but not salivary IgA-AGA measurements are suitable 
for monitoring GFD treatment in patients with DH. The discrepancy between the 
serum and salivary IgA-AGA concentrations suggests that systemic and salivary 
IgA-AGA responses are controlled separately.