Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • 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
    eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Scott Adams
    Scott Adams

    One Blood Test Can Now Diagnose Celiac Disease without Biopsy

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    An upcoming report by British researchers for the leading gastroenterology journal Gut, shows that the blood test alone is 95 per cent accurate for diagnosing celiac disease.

    One Blood Test Can Now Diagnose Celiac Disease without Biopsy - Image: CC BY 2.0-- UC Davis College of Engineering
    Caption: Image: CC BY 2.0-- UC Davis College of Engineering

    Celiac.com 09/24/2020 - Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition in which eating wheat, rye, or barley triggers an adverse immune reaction in the gut. Celiac disease affects about one percent of the population. Diagnosis can be a long and arduous process. In the United States, the average person with celiac disease can wait up to ten years from the time of first symptoms to diagnosis. Left undiagnosed, autoimmune disease can cause organ damage and bowel cancer.

    Anyone who has ever had to suffer through a long, convoluted process to get their celiac disease diagnosis can now rejoice for any new celiacs going forward. That's because researchers have developed a single blood test that can diagnose celiac disease without biopsy. Until now, the "gold standard" for celiac diagnosis was the duodenal biopsy, which is normally performed by a gastroenterologist in the days or weeks after a positive blood test, during which time the patient needs to keep consuming gluten. However, nearly half of patients did not need to undergo a more risky biopsy procedure at all.

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
    This data, coupled with the need to catch up with a backlog of endoscopies created during the Covid-19 pandemic, has provoked a change in guidance from the British Society of Gastroenterology and The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). An upcoming report by British researchers for the leading gastroenterology journal Gut, shows that the standard tTG blood test alone is 95 percent accurate for diagnosing celiac disease.

    Trials show the tTG blood test to be 95 percent sensitive (meaning it detects celiac disease 95 times out of 100), and 95 percent specific (meaning it gives a false positive result just 5 times out of 100). The test measures blood levels of anti-transglutaminase antibodies, or tTG2, which are higher in people with celiac disease. 

    TTG2 proteins are among the proteins trigger the immune reaction the causes inflammation when celiac eat wheat, rye, or barley. Celiacs have hundreds times more tTG proteins than non-celiacs.

    Being able to diagnose celiac disease quickly and accurately, via blood test alone, is a huge game-changer for celiac patients. Tens of thousands of people with suspected celiac disease can now get a diagnosis with a simple blood test, sparing them from the more risky biopsy procedure.

    Not only will many be spared the prolonged side-effects, and invasive, drawn-out diagnosis, they will also be spared the long-term damage that come with undiagnosed celiac disease.

    Read more at DailyMailnews-medical.net, and bmj.com.

    Edited by Scott Adams



    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments



    cyclinglady

    Ah, but....

    ”Those with antibody levels lower than ten times the normal range will still require an endoscopy before the diagnosis can be confirmed.”

    An endoscopy is still valuable per the referenced article.  
     

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    docaz

    Just a few days ago, I happened to talk to Dr. Guandalini, the founder of the University of Chicago Celiac Center (please feel free to do a web-search, who he is) about the recent good test results of my own children and how it relates to GliadinX. He actually performed the endoscopy on one of my children. His opinion is that endoscopy is widely overused for diagnosis of celiac disease in the US and that many, if not most endoscopies are not necessary. 

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Kansas

    Okay, but how do I get this blood test?? Is it available in the US yet?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    cyclinglady
    3 hours ago, Guest Kansas said:

    Okay, but how do I get this blood test?? Is it available in the US yet?

    There is no special celiac antibodies test — just the usual ones offered.  The article just states that if your celiac antibody results are very high, you can probably skip the endoscopy.  Ask your doctor to get tested.  

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    sc'Que?

    Will it still work if you are already following a strict gluten-free diet?  

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Melissa

    No. If you are following a strict gluten free diet, the test will not be accurate. That is the reason why they say the person needs to be consuming gluten. 

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Gfmommy
    1 hour ago, sc'Que? said:

    Will it still work if you are already following a strict gluten-free diet?  

    I am wondering the same thing. This would be excellent if those already on a strict gluten free diet could have an accurate diagnosis without having to eat gluten for a period of time. 

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Happy camper

    Posted

    Are celiacs at more risk if they contract COVID?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Happy camper

    Posted

    I have silent celiac, which makes it harder to not eat gluten. Wondering how bad is it to still eat some gluten, should I be worried?

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Marti

    95% is worse that the accuracy of the current blood tests.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Guest Marti
    4 hours ago, Guest Happy camper said:

    I have silent celiac, which makes it harder to not eat gluten. Wondering how bad is it to still eat some gluten, should I be worried?

    Yes, you should - By eating gluten you are still doing damage to your small intestines which, if it is not controlled, can lead to severe diseases such as cancer.  Also, you may not have gastrointestinal symptoms but Celiac Disease has been tied to dozens of non-gastrointestinal maladies from joint aches to depression.  Please take care of yourself and avoid gluten

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Scott Adams
    On 9/24/2020 at 4:11 PM, cyclinglady said:

    Ah, but....

    ”Those with antibody levels lower than ten times the normal range will still require an endoscopy before the diagnosis can be confirmed.”

    An endoscopy is still valuable per the referenced article.  
     

    This is a small percent of people. What this article means is that the vast majority of people will not need a biopsy, and it is no longer the "gold standard" of diagnosis. The gold standard is now blood screening, and only in a small number of cases should a biopsy be considered. Gastroenterologists will be bummed. 😄

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate
  • About Me

    Scott Adams

    Scott Adams was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1994, and, due to the nearly total lack of information available at that time, was forced to become an expert on the disease in order to recover. In 1995 he launched the site that later became Celiac.com to help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed so they can begin to live happy, healthy gluten-free lives.  He is co-author of the book Cereal Killers, and founder and publisher of the (formerly paper) newsletter Journal of Gluten Sensitivity. In 1998 he founded The Gluten-Free Mall which he sold in 2014. Celiac.com does not sell any products, and is 100% advertiser supported.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Related Articles

    Jefferson Adams
    Do We Really Need Biopsies to Diagnose Celiac Disease?
    Celiac.com 07/13/2017 - Until recently, duodenal biopsy was considered the gold standard for diagnosing celiac disease, but that is changing.
    A number of studies have shown that celiac disease can be diagnosed using serological tests alone, but many clinicians have yet to embrace this approach.
    In both retrospective and prospective studies, one research team showed that certain IgA-tissue transglutaminase antibodies levels can predict celiac disease in adults 100% of the time.
    After making some adjustments to the analytical method for measuring the antibody, a team of researchers recently set out to to determine whether such serum tests can reliably diagnose celiac disease in large numbers adult patients without the need for small bowel biopsy.
    The research team included GKT...


    Jefferson Adams
    Kids Can Get Accurate Celiac Diagnosis Without Biopsy
    Celiac.com 08/07/2017 - The guidelines of the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition allow for diagnosis of celiac disease without biopsies in children with symptoms and levels of immunoglobulin A against tissue-transglutaminase (TGA-IgA) 10-fold or more the upper limit of normal (ULN), confirmed by detection of endomysium antibodies (EMA) and positivity for HLA-DQ2/DQ8.
    To validate this approach, a team of researchers recently performed a large, international prospective study. The primary goal was to see if the non-biopsy approach can identify children with celiac disease with a positive predictive value (PPV) above 99% in clinical practice. That means they want to make sure doctors can get it right at least 99 times out of 100 in the office. They...


    Jefferson Adams
    These Three Traits Can Spot Celiac Disease in Adults Without Biopsy
    Celiac.com 01/07/2019 - Researchers have made progress in spotting celiac disease without biopsy in children with certain parameters. Can the same be done for adults? A team of researchers recently set out to evaluate the accuracy of serology-based criteria in adults with variable pre-test probabilities for celiac disease. The research team included V Fuchs, K Kurppa, H Huhtala, K Laurila, M Mäki, P Collin, T Salmi, L Luostarinen, P Saavalainen, and K Kaukinen.
    New criteria for diagnosing celiac disease in children allow doctors to forgo duodenal biopsies in children who have symptoms, positive blood tests, and celiac disease-associated genes. 
    There’s currently no good data on whether such an approach might work for adults with certain clinical presentations of celiac dis...


    Jefferson Adams
    No More Biopsies to Diagnose Celiac Disease in Children!
    Celiac.com 03/02/2020 - Current practice of using biopsy to diagnose children with celiac disease is changing to diagnosis without biopsy. 
    The European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) recently issued new guidelines that recommend doctors diagnosing celiac disease omit biopsy in favor of a two-stage blood test, for the majority of children suspected of having the disease.
    New guidelines for diagnosing celiac disease in children call for avoiding biopsies in favor of a two-stage blood test. Until now, about half of all kids diagnosed with celiac disease got a biopsy. The new guidelines mean that nearly all kids will avoid the procedure in favor of a two-stage blood test.
    The new guidelines recommend that doctors:
    Conduct ...


  • Recent Activity

    1. - trents replied to Art Maltman's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      2

      My 5 months of Struggle

    2. - Scott Adams replied to Dana Gilcrease's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      4

      Gluten-Free Foods

    3. - Art Maltman posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      2

      My 5 months of Struggle


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      126,489
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    CeliacPI
    Newest Member
    CeliacPI
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.9k
    • Total Posts
      69.4k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Popular Now

    • JA917
      11
    • Dana Gilcrease
      4
    • marion wheaton
      6
    • Jula
    • GardeningForHealth
  • Popular Articles

    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
    • Scott Adams
  • Upcoming Events

×
×
  • Create New...