Do Positive Iga And Igg For Gliadin Generally Mean Celiac?

[beingmommy]

My DS was having some slowed growth issues when he was 15 months old and our doc was worried. She ran blood tests for IgA, IgG and Ttg. His IgA and IgG were both positive and his Ttg was neg. She had both my DS and I go gluten free immediately (me since I was breastfeeding him). We did not want to do a biopsy because he was so little AND had only been eating tiny amounts of solids for a few months (seriously tiny, like a handful of wheat crackers a week) so would likely not even have accumulated enough damage to show up.

After being gluten free for 2 weeks I had read up a bit on it all and realized that we should have had more tests run and that I should have been tested too before I went gluten free. Our doc said I could still have a the tests run, though they could come back falsely negative. I had them run and I came back neg on IgA and Ttg but positive on IgG. She said this showed I was gluten sensitive at the very least.

It's been a few months now and we've been gluten free. My son has gained a little weight and his diapers seem a little better. He also has stopped teething and started eating more solids so I am not sure if the gluten free thing has anything to do with it. I have not really noticed a huge change in myself either. I have always thought I had IBS with diarrhea being my main issues. That did clear up a little. But I do not feel amazingly better (and by that I mean, I felt fine before and have not noticed any obvious improvement). Oh also, I have never been deficient in any vitamins or minerals.

I guess I am hoping that he and I are just gluten sensitive and do NOT have Celiac. Is there any chance? Or is it pretty likely that we have full blown Celiac?

Our doc has coded it as Celiac and told another doc in her practice that my son had a positive Celiac Panel.

[happygirl]

Without having the biopsy done, its pretty hard to say.

Also, if they didn't run the total IgA test (esp on you, since your tTG IgA and AGA IgA were negative), its hard to say if the testing was as accurate as can be. Based on your sons positive AGA IgA, it would appear he is not IgA deficient (which can make IgA based testing inaccurate).

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Tests for celiac on very young children are notoriously inaccurate, but mostly for false negatives. I've not heard of false positives before. I would say that it's extremely likely that your little one DOES have celiac, or at the very least, a severe intolerance to gluten--which might amount to the same thing as celiac, as the current mode of diagnosis relies on viewing damaged villi--which take time to develop damage! It's not like you'd want to give him gluten to damage his villi on purpose at this point, just for a positive diagnosis based on that!

Sounds to me like your doctor is way ahead of most. If you have IBS with diarrhea issues, that fairly screams "Celiac!" to most people here, though it does seem that some people with diagnosed celiac have additional intestinal issues that go beyond celiac (some have candida issues, some have Lyme, some have issues that haven't yet been identified, but gluten-free doesn't seem to be the answer--and some have "refractory sprue," where the intestines are so badly damaged that the villi don't regenerate after going gluten-free).

Most of us here had to go off dairy at least temporarily, as the villi (damaged by celiac) are unable to produce lactase until they've healed, and they don't seem to heal until dairy is removed from the diet! But many of us were able to add dairy back to our diets after healing. And quite a few seem to be sensitive to dairy protein (casein) as well as gluten. Also, until the villi have healed, those gluten-free breads, pancakes, etc. are VERY hard on the intestines.

In addition, most of us thought we were gluten-free those first few months--and we weren't, thanks to all kinds of hidden sources of gluten, like soy sauce (most brands contain wheat), rotisserie chicken (most marinated in wheat-containing soy sauce), Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes, Quaker rice cakes (most celiacs seem to react to them--apparently, they're made on equipment shared with wheat), etc. Hopefully, you've done better than most of us, but since it's so common, I thought it important to mention here.

BTW, kudos for having breastfed for so long--you almost certainly protected your son from more severe reactions!

[beingmommy]

Thanks for the replies!

I definitely don't want to introduce gluten back to my son just to cause damage so he can have a biopsy. I would not want him to have a biopsy in any case. I am not comfortable with putting such a young child under. It does seem like fairly strong evidence that he had a positive on IgA and IgG when he was hardly eating any gluten anyway. He had really only been eating solids for a few weeks when we did that test and maybe 2-3 crackers a day. Of course, he had gotten it in my breastmilk up until then but I imagine that would be in a much smaller amount thatn when he actually was eating gluten foods himself.

I think we really are doing a good job of being gluten free. I read all the stuff online about hidden sources and pretty much only buy stuff that is certified gluten free or is naturally gluten free (fruits and veg). BUT, I guess there could be cross contamination issues with some stuff still. You never really know, right?

I did not know that if I had gut damage that eating dairy or gluten-free items could still hurt me until I have healed. I will have to think about that. Going on a restrictive diet is very very hard for me. I just don't do it well. I instantly feel deprived. I have only survived this by allowing myself to eat cookies and "fun" foods that are gluten-free. I mean, I have stuck to it religiously for my son. But it is VERY hard for me.

I think it is hard for me to imagine I have it because I have never had really serious symptoms. I've never been deficient in any vitamins (had tests when I was pregnant and I was fine). I've always been really healthy. I realize some Celiacs don't have symptoms. It's just harder to accept when I didn't feel bad to begin with and now see very little evidence that anything has changed in my body.

BUT I do want to stay gluten free if it is best for my DS and I. I really do. I will commit myself and do it. I just wish there was a way to know more.

Also, our doc wants to reintroduce gluten to us both in about a year and see what happens. Sometimes I think this is good. Sometimes I do not especially when I think that maybe we are Celiacs and that challenges can be damaging.

Hmmm . . ..

[Pattymom]

I had a very similar start to beign gluten free. I gave up gluten for my nursing baby who was reacting, also dairy, soy and corn. I didn't tink I was sick o deficient before, though had had intermittent IBS like symptoms and horrid gas. After a few months, I realized that had all stopped for me. I then got the blood work done, and had the same results ttg, and IGa negative, IGG positive (or maybe the other way around on the GGs, I always get the confused) Anyway, since once is a easure of acute iune response, ie, eat it today react now, and one is more long ter, it made sense that the ore acute measure had returned to negative, and the other hadn't quite recovered yet. The docotr told me it was probably celiac, maybe a sensitivity the only way to know was to eat gluten and have a biopsy. since i was still nursing, it wasn't an option to eat gluten again. anyway,later when I did try it again, the reaction was so clear, and always is when I get accidental gluten.

I do understand how hard it is to make the changes in the beginning, I think we ate way more treats than we did on gluten to make reward myself. I mastered gluten-free brownies before anything else. it was easier in the beginning to lie to myself that is was just until I finished nursing (I alos nurse through toddlerhood), then once it got easy, and it does, and you get used to feeling better all the time, it's not temptign to cheat anymore.

(I know giving up dairy is harder than giving up gluten for us, it was worth it in the results)

Hang in there,

Patty