Why Do Celiac Blood Tests Take So Long?

Celiac.com 01/11/2023 - We get a lot of questions from celiac community members wondering about certain aspects of celiac disease. We especially get a lot of questions about celiac screening, including blood tests. One question we're seen a lot recently is: Why do celiac blood tests take so long?

The short answer is that celiac disease blood tests, while not instantaneous, usually provide results within days or weeks.

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However, getting a doctor to order the blood tests can take time, depending on a few different parts of the celiac disease testing and diagnosis process.

How Long Does it Usually Take to Get Diagnosed with Celiac Disease?

Once doctors start looking for celiac disease, it doesn't usually take them very long to rule it in or out. In theory, a diagnosis of celiac disease is fairly straightforward. The best case would be you notice symptoms, go see a doctor, receive a quick celiac disease blood antibody panel (you need to be eating 2 slices of wheat bread's worth of gluten daily for 6-8 weeks beforehand), test positive for celiac antibodies, then undergo an endoscopy (biopsy samples will be taken - you need to be eating 2 slices of wheat bread's worth of gluten daily for at least 2 weeks beforehand) and get a confirmation. The whole process should only take a few weeks, or maybe a few months.

Celiac Disease Blood Tests are Quick, but Diagnosis Can Take Years

The reality is often different. While tests are quick once ordered, the reality of celiac diagnosis is often years of confusing, non-classical symptoms like fatigue, osteoporosis, and anemia, that can lead to years of doctors diagnosing other conditions, like IBS, allergies, canker sores, lactose intolerance, to name a few. 

Six to Ten Years for "Average" Celiac Diagnosis

When people ask why celiac blood tests take so long, they're often asking why the diagnosis takes so long. Both Daniel Leffler, MD, MS, at The Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center, and the Celiac Disease Foundation say that patients face "an average delay of 6-10 years for an accurate celiac disease diagnosis."

So six to ten years is one answer, it's the answer for many people. But it's not the complete answer, and it doesn't have to be the answer for everyone.

Diagnosis in Weeks After Celiac Blood Screening

In Italy, where celiac disease is common, all children are screened by age 6. And Italians of any age are tested for the disease as soon as they show symptoms. As a result of this vigilance, the time between when symptoms begin and the disease is diagnosed is usually only 2 to 3 weeks.

How Long Does it Usually Take to Get Referred for Celiac Disease Blood Screening Tests?

Those years of chasing the wrong diagnosis can mean that it can often take years for celiac disease sufferers to get referred for celiac screening. As noted, once doctors start looking for celiac disease, it doesn't usually take them very long. They usually order blood screens quickly, and then a confirmation biopsy if the screens are positive.

Results of Celiac Disease Screening Tests Usually Arrive Quickly

Once doctors order blood screens for celiac disease, it usually takes a matter of days of weeks for the results to come back. There's been some work to improve that by developing rapid finger prick celiac tests for children, but the results have been disappointing.

So, even at a few days to weeks, it's not really the celiac blood tests that take a long time, it's the time that it might take for someone to actually get screened for celiac disease that can be long, depending on a combination of vigilance and testing practices. It can take years, but it can also take weeks or months. 

If you think you or a loved one may have celiac disease, do your best to note your symptoms, and to get screened by a physician. It's true that screening won't catch all cases, but it will catch most. The quicker the journey starts, the sooner an answer can be found. If you suspect celiac disease but your doctor won't order the blood panel for it, you can also order a blood screening kit via mail order for under $100.

Read more on Celiac Disease Blood Antibody Tests and What You Need to Know about Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis and Testing.