New Blood Test Will Spot Celiac Disease Without Gluten Consumption

Hope this test becomes available sooner than later. It is very much needed.

Sounds promising and a great development, but this brings up the point that you should not self-diagnose celiac disease. If you work out, by your own process of elimination, that gluten is problematic for you, rather than self-diagnose and put yourself on a gluten free diet, you should immediately visit your doctor and go through the correct process to diagnose celiac disease. Most people don't know, that when you cut gluten out of your diet, you cease to produce the gluten antibodies your doctor would be looking for as part of your diagnosis. This makes it very hard to diagnose unless you start eating gluten again. Plus there are other things your doctor needs to keep an eye on, which won't be happening if you self-diagnose.

This sounds promising. I would like to know what the rate of false negatives ends up being and whether there is a positive correlation with false negatives and the length of time on a gluten-free diet.

Sounds promising and a great development, but this brings up the point that you should not self-diagnose celiac disease. If you work out, by your own process of elimination, that gluten is problematic for you, rather than self-diagnose and put yourself on a gluten free diet, you should immediately visit your doctor and go through the correct process to diagnose celiac disease. Most people don't know, that when you cut gluten out of your diet, you cease to produce the gluten antibodies your doctor would be looking for as part of your diagnosis. This makes it very hard to diagnose unless you start eating gluten again. Plus there are other things your doctor needs to keep an eye on, which won't be happening if you self-diagnose.

I was self diagnosed by my mother 13 years ago. There wasn't a lot of option back in 2005, if any, like there are now. Going back on a gluten diet isn't an option for me as I have a very severe reaction to it. There really isn't an option for me besides hoping this new test for celiac disease is successful. You're very right if someone has recently realized they might have a gluten sensitivity or intolerance.

Does anyone know if there are any updates or follow up studies in process?

We do not know, but will post a summary of any research that follows this up.

Is this test available yet to NHS or privately?

This study is over two years old now and I have not heard of any follow-up studies to verify results. You would think other researchers would pick up on this, given the accuracy of the initial research results.

On 3/14/2021 at 4:08 AM, trents said:

This study is over two years old now and I have not heard of any follow-up studies to verify results. You would think other researchers would pick up on this, given the accuracy of the initial research results.

Yah, it looks really promising so it's frustrating that this hasn't been followed up at all (to my knowledge). I'm guessing the world obsession with  covid has sadly restricted many other important medical research projects.

I am getting HLA-DQ testing next week because I found out my sibling has Celiac disease. I get smelly diarrhea, headaches, and abdominal pain from gluten. I also have intolerances to fructose, fructans, and lactose. I am hoping I can be diagnosed without having to eat gluten again because it makes me really sick. Otherwise, I will do the other tests in summer when I am off from college classes again.

28 minutes ago, Guest crstlgls said:

I am getting HLA-DQ testing next week because I found out my sibling has Celiac disease. I get smelly diarrhea, headaches, and abdominal pain from gluten. I also have intolerances to fructose, fructans, and lactose. I am hoping I can be diagnosed without having to eat gluten again because it makes me really sick. Otherwise, I will do the other tests in summer when I am off from college classes again.

Both kinds of celiac diagnositc tests (serum antibody and biopsy) require consumption of regular amounts gluten for weeks or months leading up to the testing. The Mayo Clinic guidelines are the daily consumption of two slices of wheat bread or the gluten equivalent for 6-8 weeks leading up to serum antibody testing and for two weeks leading up to the endoscopy/biopsy. The antibody testing is usually done first and the biopsy is followup for confirmation. If you go off gluten ahead of time, healing of the villi that line the small bowel starts to happen and inflammation markers (antibodies) go down. Test results will be invalidated if you start eating gluten free ahead of time.

My sibling could not do the gluten challenge because her reaction to gluten is so severe she could not work. She has 2 kids and a house to take care of. They just ruled out gluten allergy with her. Because of my intolerances, I cannot digest the fructans in wheat either. So even if I do it, I won't know if it's the gluten or the fructans bothering me because both will to some degree. My provider is trying to avoid it with me because it won't tell me something I do not already know and I have been gluten-free for years. I might end up paying for this newer test myself if Medicare does not, but at least I will know if I am susceptible to it.