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.
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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?**
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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:
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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.
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Hi @Ginger38, By now you know that these things improve without gluten. I once saw an interview with a corporation executive where he proudly declared that his wheat products are more addictive than potato chips. Dr Fuhrman (Eat to Live) said find foods that are friendly to you to be friends with. -
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Hi @CC90 Ah... that is very interesting. Although it is very annoying for you to have to go through it all again, I would say that almost sounds like an admission that they didn't look far enough last time? I could be wrong, but I would not be at all surprised if they find something on the next attempt. Coeliac damage can be very patchy, as I understand... -
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Hi Cristiana Yes I've had the biopsy results showing normal villi and intestinal mucosa. The repeat endoscopy (requested by the gastro doc) would be to take samples from further into the intestine than the previous endoscopy reached. -
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Transglutaminase IgA is the gold-standard blood test for celiac disease. Sensitivity of over 90% and specificity of 95–99%. It rarely produces false positives. An elevated level means your immune system is reacting to gluten. Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS) does not typically cause high levels of tTG-IgA. Unfortunately the protocols for a diagnosis o... -
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Cristiana asks a very relevant question. What looks normal to the naked eye may not look normal under the microscope.
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