6 replies to this topic

[arian]

I just got my blood test back from the allergist, and he said my body is making antibodies against gluten. The thing is, I just wanted to confirm through him, what I already knew ( I knew before the appointment that I was gluten intolerant from my own elimation diet ) Anyway, heres my question. I haven't eaten ANY gluten in over 2 months, but it's still showing up on the blood test. Does this mean I'm possibly celiac or highly intolerant? For ex. if i was eating gluten everyday for six weeks before the test, would the antibody number be extremely high? thank you!

[T.H.]

If you have antibodies, my understanding is that this is Celiac Disease; gluten intolerance doesn't involve the antibodies. Not as I understand it, anyway. I believe it is an entirely different physiological reaction than Celiac Disease.

Gluten contamination might be the explanation for the still high numbers, in that case, or if you were severely damaged and had extremely high antibodies, they might not have dropped enough yet. I think the former is more likely, though.

[arian]

If you have antibodies, my understanding is that this is Celiac Disease; gluten intolerance doesn't involve the antibodies. Not as I understand it, anyway. I believe it is an entirely different physiological reaction than Celiac Disease.

Gluten contamination might be the explanation for the still high numbers, in that case, or if you were severely damaged and had extremely high antibodies, they might not have dropped enough yet. I think the former is more likely, though.

Thank you so much, thats what I thought the answer to 6 years of problems I think has been discovered, YAY:D I've been dealing with so many problems for so long, and not knowing the answer to what was causing all of it. I think I do now

[IrishHeart]

What blood tests did he do? Just curious.

and...yes, as TH says, if your antibodies are high, you've got a gluten problem.

[Lisa]

Anyway, heres my question. I haven't eaten ANY gluten in over 2 months, but it's still showing up on the blood test. Does this mean I'm possibly celiac or highly intolerant? For ex. if i was eating gluten everyday for six weeks before the test, would the antibody number be extremely high? thank you!

I think you're asking that if you ate a full gluten diet, prior to your testing, would your results be more positive? Maybe, maybe not. But, that's not too important. Positive is Positive.

Can you post the type of blood test your allergist recommended and your full results? You have mentioned that you feel better off gluten, that's a piece of the puzzle.

It's also possible, that although you are certain you were 100% gluten free, that you may not have been. Gluten is very tricky and it hides well. Lotions, shampoos, lipsticks/balm, some meds, shared toasters and dining out can be a real challenge...etc. The learning curve is steep.

[arian]

What blood tests did he do? Just curious.

and...yes, as TH says, if your antibodies are high, you've got a gluten problem.

Ok so I asked, and my Ige was no number, but my Igg had a number -.- is that even a celiac test, I thought Iga was celiac test? Man im so bummmed, my allergist is NO help !!! someone help:(

[IrishHeart]

The antigliadin antibodies IgG and IgA recognize a small piece of the gluten protein called gliadin. These antibodies became available during the late 1970′s and were the first step towards recognizing celiac disease as an autoimmune disorder.

Antigliadin IgG has good sensitivity, while antigliadin IgA has good specificity, and therefore their combined use provided the first reliable screening test for CELIAC DISEASE.

Unfortunately, many normal individuals without CELIAC DISEASE will have an elevated antigliadin IgG, causing much confusion among physicians. The antigliadin IgG is useful in screening individuals who are IgA deficient, as the other antibodies used for routine screening are usually of the IgA class. It is thought that 0.2-0.4% of the general population has selective IgA deficiency, while 2 to 3% or more of celiacs are IgA deficient.

If a patient’s celiac panel is only positive for antigliadin IgG, this is not highly suggestive for CELIAC DISEASE if the patient has a normal total IgA level, corrected for age.

Younger children make less IgA than older children and adults.

A markedly elevated antigliadin IgG, such as greater than three to four times the upper limit of normal for that lab, is highly suggestive of a condition where the gut is leakier to gluten.

This can happen in food allergies, cystic fibrosis, parasitic infections, Crohn’s disease, and other types of autoimmune GI diseases. These antibodies may also be slightly elevated in individuals with no obvious disease.

that information is here:

http://americanceliac.org/celiac-disease/diagnosis/


Given this information, I would not assume I had Celiac Disease until I had a celiac panel run. The allergist did not run the IgA.....and according to this information, people can have elevated antigliadin IgG and have another condition-- as listed above. Or it could be nothing at all.

IMHO, you may wish to see a gastrointestinal doctor and bring these test results to him/her.? Something is going on and the allergist may not be able to help much further.

You have some information from this IgG test, yes, but I am not really sure if that is enough to say it's celiac disease or not.

Maybe someone else knows more and will chime in here.