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My Blood Panel Results Are In...

steve-o

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steve-o Apprentice
steve-o
Posted

Well, I finally saw my doctor today to get the results of my blood panel. I'm sure lots of other people have similar confusing results, so I wanted to share my experience and insight:

I had an IGA Anti-Gliadin antibody reading of 53 (over 25 is high), but my TTG was only 3, which is a low/negative number.

My biopsy was also negative, BUT....he only took one tissue sample, so I don't have a lot of faith in the scientific value of this result, given that damage to the villi can be patchy, and all the literature I've read says that you must take multiple tissue samples to avoid sampling error.

The doctor said this means I don't have celiac disease. He said although the Anti-Gliadin AB is high, this doesn't necessarily mean I have celiac. (I didn't think to ask him at the time...but I'm kind of curious, why do they bother doing this test if the results don't mean anything?)

I asked if this means I have a gluten intolerance, that hasn't gotten so bad that it's damaged the villi yet. His reponse was that you either have it, or you don't....there's no degrees of gluten intolerance.

But then he said my symptoms before going gluten free were classic celiac...and the improvements I've seen since being gluten free for the past month, are exactly what he would expect to see from somebody who was recovering/recently started the gluten-free diet. He said there are "subclinical" cases of celiac, and that I may be one of those cases. His recommendation was to stay gluten free for a few more weeks, and then slowly try reintroducing gluten into my diet. If I have reactions to it again, I can probably take this as "evidence" that I need to avoid gluten.

I guess the point (which most of you already know all too well) is that in the end, you need to just listen to your body. Blood tests and biopsies aren't perfect, and if your body is telling you that it doesn't play well with gluten...you should always listen to what your body tells you, regardless of what the tests/doctors say.

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LaurieAnn13 Newbie
LaurieAnn13
Posted

When my doctor diagnosed me, it was only with the blood tests. My levels came back indicating celiac, I never had a biopsy. I responded really well to the gluten-free diet and I just went with that, as you said...your body knows best!!

Good luck!

Laurie

rmmadden Contributor
rmmadden
Posted

My experience with celiac disease and going to the Doctor is that I have come to learn what an un-exact science medicine is. I always thought with all the technology etc. that medicine was more specific in its diagnosis and treatments....Wrong. This seems especially true when dealing with celiac disease!

Your best bet is to listen to what your body is telling you because nobody knows you like you do.

Best of Luck!

Cleveland Bob B)

celiac3270 Collaborator
celiac3270
Posted

I think your physician is about 1/2 right on this one.

An AGA IgA definitely is not enough for a diagnosis. The Anti-Gliadin tests are not very accurate at all. The tTG is the best serological test out there right now, followed by the EMA. A negative biopsy and a negative tTG would be grounds for saying no celiac. However, one sample is not going to work...the biopsy is worthless with only one sample.

What I would suggest is this: get a gene test. This will tell you if you can or cannot have celiac. If you have neither the HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8, you cannot have celiac, and you can rule out celiac altogether. If you have either of the genes, then you should probably have an EMA and another endoscopy, making sure that they take multiple samples.

The part that I think is 1/2 wrong is that you can't have celiac. There is inadequate testing to rule it out altogether, because the tTG, though important, isn't the only way to diagnose or...not diagnose.

Guest nini
Guest nini
Posted

I agree that listening to your body is very important...

I also believe that gluten is toxic for way more people than just those predisposed to celiac through genetics.

Listen to your body, if it's telling you gluten is bad for you then by all means stay away from gluten!

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    • trents
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      Welcome, @catnapt! The most recent guidelines are the daily consumption of a minimum of 10g of gluten (about the amount found in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) for a minimum of two weeks. But if possible stretching that out even more would enhance the chances of getting valid test results. These guidelines are for those who have been eating gluten free for a significant amount of time. It's called the "gluten challenge".  Yes, you can develop celiac disease at any stage of life. There is a genetic component but also a stress trigger that is needed to activate the celiac genes. About 30-40% of the general population possesses the genetic potential to develop celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develop celiac disease. For most with the potential, the triggering stress event doesn't happen. It can be many things but often it is a viral infection. Having said that, it is also the case that many, many people who eventually are diagnosed with celiac disease probably experienced the actual onset years before. Many celiacs are of the "silent" type, meaning that symptoms are largely missing or very minor and get overlooked until damage to the small bowel lining becomes advanced or they develop iron deficiency anemia or some other medical problem associated with celiac disease. Many, many are never diagnosed or are diagnosed later in life because they did not experience classic symptoms. And many physicians are only looking for classic symptoms. We now know that there are over 200 symptoms/medical problems associated with celiac disease but many docs are only looking for things like boating, gas, diarrhea. I certainly understand your concerns about not wanting to damage your body by taking on a gluten challenge. Your other option is to totally commit to gluten free eating and see if your symptoms improve. It can take two years or more for complete healing of the small bowel lining once going gluten free but usually people experience significant improvement well before then. If their is significant improvement in your symptoms when going seriously gluten free, then you likely have your answer. You would either have celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).
    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
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