Vijay Kumar, M.D., Research Associate Professor at the University of Buffalo and President and Director of IMMCO Diagnostics: If the tests are performed using well standardized tests with known positive and negative predictive values then you can make the statement that if the serological tests are negative celiac disease can virtually be ruled out. The problem is that some of these assays, especially the gliadin, can give you false positive results. In our laboratory we rarely see positive AGA results in the absence of EMA and ARA antibodies.
-
Welcome to Celiac.com!
You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.
-
Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):
-
Get Celiac.com Updates:Support Our Content
-
Record is Archived
This article is now archived and is closed to further replies.
By Scott Adams
By Scott Adams •
Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.One case I know of had elevated gliadins (both types) but normal EMA and ARA, plus an inconclusive biopsy. Do you see this often?**
User Feedback
-
Get Celiac.com Updates:Support Celiac.com:
-
About Me
Scott Adams was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1994. Faced with a critical lack of resources, he dedicated himself to becoming an expert on the condition to achieve his own recovery.
In 1995, he founded Celiac.com with a clear mission: to ensure no one would have to navigate celiac disease alone. The site has since grown into one of the oldest and most trusted patient-focused resources for celiac disease and the gluten-free lifestyle.
His work to advance awareness and support includes:
- Founding Celiac.com in 1995.
- Founding in 2002, and publishing the Journal of Gluten Sensitivity.
- Co-authoring with Dr. Ron Hoggan the book Cereal Killers.
- Founding The Gluten-Free Mall in 1998, which he later sold in 2014.
Today, Celiac.com remains his primary focus. To ensure unbiased information, the site does not sell products and is 100% advertiser supported.
-
Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):
-
Related Articles
Vijay Kumar, M.D., Research Associate Professor at the University of Buffalo and President and Director of IMMCO Diagnostics: The three serological tests that are used for diagnosing celiac disease are:
Anti-endomysial antibody (EMA) Anti-reticulin antibody (ARA) Anti-gliadin antibody (AGA) Each of these three tests provide a certain degree of reliability for diagnosing celiac disease. Of these, endomysial antibody is the most specific test. The following table is taken from our studies (Lerner, Kumar, Iancu, Immunological diagnosis of childhood coeliac disease: comparison between antigliadin, antireticulin and antiendomysial antibodies).
% of Sensitivity % of Specificity Predictive Value % Pos Predictive Value % Neg EMA 97% 98% 97% 98% ARA 65%...
- Read Full Article...
- 1 comment
- 38,266 views
Vijay Kumar, M.D., Research Associate Professor at the University of Buffalo and President and Director of IMMCO Diagnostics: Absolutely yes. For the test to provide meaningful results, it must be validated using a large number of clinical documented subjects. In addition, the two tests, endomysial and reticulin are immunofluorescent tests where the readings are subjective. Experienced laboratory personnel are needed to read such tests.
Karoly Horvath, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Director, Peds GI Nutrition Laboratory; University of Maryland at Baltimore: There are several advantages to use a laboratory experienced with the celiac serological tests:
Technically, the test are more reliable, and the internal and external control of tests are better...
- Read Full Article...
- 0 comments
- 8,085 views
For 100 units of whole grain wheat, about 70 units of white flour results from the milling process. The rest is separately sold as wheat bran or wheat germ. Those 70 units of flour are about 10%- 15% protein, thus about 7 to 10 units of protein for 100 units of whole wheat. The protein is about 80% gluten, thus about 6 to 8 units of gluten for 100 units of whole wheat. Since one typically sees wheat flour as an ingredient, applying the 70% factor implies 8 to 12 units of gluten per 100 units of wheat flour.
- Read Full Article...
- 0 comments
- 10,186 views
Celiac.com 02/05/2023 - If you have celiac disease symptoms, for example chronic diarrhea, anemia, bloating, abdominal pain, rashes, are in a higher risk group, etc., your doctor may order a blood test for celiac disease. Note that before doing any blood tests for celiac disease you must be eating gluten for a while beforehand, and the amount and length of time can vary, but is somewhere between 2 slices of wheat bread daily for 6-8 weeks and 1/2 slice of wheat bread or 1 wheat cracker for 12 weeks, otherwise you may end up with false negative results.
For a celiac disease antibody test, a clinician collects a small amount of the patient's blood. The sample is then sent to a lab, where the blood cells are then removed, and the test is conducted.
Celiac Disease Blood Tests <...
- Read Full Article...
- 62 comments
- 294,016 views
-
Recent Activity
-
- trents replied to ainsleydale1700's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms3Confused about HLA-DQ Celiac gene test result
Welcome to the celiac.com community, @ainsleydale1700! First, it is very unlikely, given your genetic results, that you have celiac disease. But it is not a slam dunk. Second, there are some other reasons besides having celiac disease that your blood antibody testing was positive. There are some diseases, some medications and even (for some people... -
- ainsleydale1700 replied to ainsleydale1700's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms3Confused about HLA-DQ Celiac gene test result
Thank you, that is helpful! -
- Scott Adams replied to ainsleydale1700's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms3Confused about HLA-DQ Celiac gene test result
HLA testing can definitely be confusing. Classic celiac disease risk is most strongly associated with having the full HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8 heterodimer, which requires specific DQA1 and DQB1 genes working together. Your report shows you are negative for the common DQ2 and DQ8 combinations, but positive for DQB102, which is one component of the DQ2 pair. On its...- 1
-
-
- Aretaeus Cappadocia replied to Thoughtidjoin's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications4Dried Chickpeas
I agree with your post and have had similar experiences. I'm commenting to add the suggestion of also using nutritional yeast as a supplement. It's a rich source of B vitamins and other nutrients, and some brands are further supplemented with additional B12. I sprinkle a modest amount in a variety of savory recipes.- 1
-
-
- ainsleydale1700 posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms3
Confused about HLA-DQ Celiac gene test result
Hi, could someone help me understand the result of my gene test? DQ2 (DQA1 0501/0505,DQB1 02XX): Negative DQ8 (DQA1 03XX,DQB1 0302): Negative The patient is positive for DQB1*02, one half of the DQ2 heterodimer. The doctor said I don't have Celiac genes. I asked him to clarify about my positive DQB1*02, and he said it's a gene unrelated...
-
-
Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
-
Member Statistics
-
Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
-
Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
-
Forum Statistics
-
Total Topics121.6k
-
Total Posts1m
-
-
Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
-
Who's Online (See full list)
-
Popular Now
-
-
Popular Articles
-
-
Upcoming Events
-
0February 18, 2026 11:15 PM
Until
February 19, 2026 12:15 AM
-
0February 24, 2026 11:30 PM
Until
February 25, 2026 12:30 AM
-
0March 04, 2026 11:00 PM
Until
March 05, 2026 12:00 AM
-
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.