Jump to content
  • 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

Would Love Your Help Reading Test Results


ryo

Recommended Posts

ryo Apprentice

hi,

my daughter has been diagnosed with celiac (blood test and biopsy).  we are now having our family tested.  i went through directlabs and just got my results back.  i would love it if the experts in this group could take a peak and confirm that i am in the clear (as much as one can be).

 

a little background...

the only reason i was tested is because of my daughter.  once we cut back on gluten i started having more energy, lost so weight, and felt better all around.  i am guessing this was a result of just eating healthy. i have also been "gluten light" for the past 6 weeks.  i consumed one serving of gluten everyday (with my daughter as she prepared for her biopsy).  i know you must eat gluten in order to test positive but i guess i am just throwing this in incase someone feels that "gluten light" could have caused the low results.

 

thank you so much for being my sounding board and offering your expertise!

 

 

Deamidated Gliadin Abs, IgA    3    

Negative 0 - 19

Weak Positive 20 - 30 

Moderate to Strong Positive >30    

 

Deamidated Gliadin Abs, IgG    2    

Negative 0-19

Weak Positive 20-30
Moderate to Strong Positive  >30

 

t-Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA    <2  

Negative 0 - 3

Weak Positive 4 - 10

Positive >10 

 

 

t-Transglutaminase (tTG) IgG   2

Negative 0 - 5

Weak Positive 6 - 9

Positive >9 

 

Endomysial Antibody IgA   Negative

Immunoglobulin A, Qn, Serum   168 

 

 

 


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



BelleVie Enthusiast

It looks like your results are negative, but since you've been "gluten light," I would say it's possible that your results may not be accurate. That's judging from information that I've learned on this board--I'm not sure if that's entirely accurate. That being said, it's also possible that you don't have celiac, but that you are gluten intolerant. Either way, you know you feel better without gluten! I think it's really cool of you to change your diet with your daughter. My mom flat out refuses to try eating gluten free, despite having symptoms. 

nora-n Rookie

The immunglobulin A test is just a test for total IgA, not a celiac test, in case you wondered.  All the others are celiac tests. Good you got all of them.

nvsmom Community Regular

It looks negative to me too. the fact that you had cut back to "gluten light" prior to testing could have affected the results, but I would guess that if you were a celiac, they results would have been a bit higher rather than the low-end of normal.  Was you Immunoglobulin A within the normal range? For most labs it would be, but if you are low on IgA it could affect your IgA based celiac test results... I would guess it was fine though.

 

If you noticed such an improvement on the gluten-free diet, you should consider the possiblity that you have non-celiac gluten intolerance (NCGI) which is found in close to 1/10 people. those with NCGI will have the same range of symptoms as a celiac minus the intestinal villi atrophy (which is what those celiac tests look for signs of). I am a celiac but two of my kids apparently have NCGI because they tested negative for celiac disease - they are doing much better on the gluten-free diet.

 

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

p.s. I lose weight when gluten-free too, even when not cutting calories...

ryo Apprentice

thank you for all of your feedback. 

 

nvsmom:

the lab didn't actually list a "normal" for the Immunoglobulin A but I assumed that the Endomysial Antibody IgA   Negative   was related to that?

 

 

bellev:

thank you for your kind words.  my daughter is really young and we want to support her however we can while also letting her grow up understanding and owning her health.  our house will be gluten-free so we can minimize her chances for cross contamination.  i will eat gluten-free with her at home or out of the home so i can understand her needs/challenges as much as possible.  

 

it is an overwhelming world we have walked into but i am so happy to have found the support of this group!

nvsmom Community Regular

The EMA IgA is actually a separate celiac test. It tends to be positive in most advanced cases of villi damage. The Immunoglobulin A (IgA)  is just a control test. About 5% of celiacs are low in it which would affect your other (IgA based) test results. The usual range is often somewhere around 100-400.

 

This board has a tonne of info, and many people with a lot of experience. I hope we can be of some help.  :)

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

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





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Son's legs shaking

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

      Bob red mill gluten free oats

    3. - knitty kitty replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      6

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

    4. - trents replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      6

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

    5. - SamAlvi replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      6

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,868
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    LMGarrison
    Newest Member
    LMGarrison
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      @lizzie42, You're being a good mom, seeking answers for your son.  Cheers! Subclinical thiamine deficiency commonly occurs with anemia.  An outright Thiamine deficiency can be precipitated by the consumption of a high carbohydrate meal.   Symptoms of Thiamine deficiency include feeling shakey or wobbly in the legs, muscle weakness or cramps, as well as aggression and irritability, confusion, mood swings and behavior changes.  Thiamine is essential to the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which keep us calm and rational.   @Jsingh, histamine intolerance is also a symptom of Thiamine deficiency.  Thiamine is needed to prevent mast cells from releasing histamine at the slightest provocation as is seen in histamine intolerance.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins and Vitamin C are needed to clear histamine from the body.  Without sufficient thiamine and other B vitamins to clear it, the histamine builds up.  High histamine levels can change behavior, too.  High histamine levels are found in the brains of patients with schizophrenia.  Thiamine deficiency can also cause extreme hunger or conversely anorexia.   High carbohydrate meals can precipitate thiamine deficiency because additional thiamine is required to process carbohydrates for the body to use as fuel.  The more carbohydrates one eats daily, the more one needs additional thiamine above the RDA.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses. Keep in mind that gluten-free processed foods like cookies and such are not required to be fortified and enriched with vitamins and minerals like their gluten containing counterparts are.  Limit processed gluten-free foods.  They are often full of empty calories and unhealthy saturated fats and additives, and are high in histamine or histamine release triggers.  It's time you bought your own vitamins to supplement what is not being absorbed due to malabsorption of Celiac disease.  Benfotiamine is a form of Thiamine that has been shown to improve intestinal health as well as brain function. Do talk to your doctors and dieticians about supplementing with the essential vitamins and minerals while your children are growing up gluten free.  Serve nutritionally dense foods.  Meats and liver are great sources of B vitamins and minerals. Hope this helps!  Keep us posted on your progress!
    • Scott Adams
      Oats naturally contain a protein called avenin, which is similar to the gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, and rye. While avenin is generally considered safe for most people with celiac disease, some individuals, around 5-10% of celiacs, may also have sensitivity to avenin, leading to symptoms similar to gluten exposure. You may fall into this category, and eliminating them is the best way to figure this out. Some people substitute gluten-free quinoa flakes for oats if they want a hot cereal substitute. If you are interested in summaries of scientific publications on the topic of oats and celiac disease, we have an entire category dedicated to it which is here: https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/oats-and-celiac-disease-are-they-gluten-free/   
    • knitty kitty
      @SamAlvi, It's common with anemia to have a lower tTg IgA antibodies than DGP IgG ones, but your high DGP IgG scores still point to Celiac disease.   Since a gluten challenge would pose further health damage, you may want to ask for a DNA test to see if you have any of the commonly known genes for Celiac disease.  Though having the genes for Celiac is not diagnostic in and of itself, taken with the antibody tests, the anemia and your reaction to gluten, it may be a confirmation you have Celiac disease.   Do discuss Gastrointestinal Beriberi with your doctors.  In Celiac disease, Gastrointestinal Beriberi is frequently overlooked by doctors.  The digestive system can be affected by localized Thiamine deficiency which causes symptoms consistent with yours.  Correction of nutritional deficiencies quickly is beneficial.  Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine, helps improve intestinal health.  All eight B vitamins, including Thiamine (Benfotiamine), should be supplemented because they all work together.   The B vitamins are needed in addition to iron to correct anemia.   Hope this helps!  Keep us posted on your progress!
    • trents
      Currently, there are no tests for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out and we do have testing for celiac disease. There are two primary test modalities for diagnosing celiac disease. One involves checking for antibodies in the blood. For the person with celiac disease, when gluten is ingested, it produces an autoimmune response in the lining of the small bowel which generates specific kinds of antibodies. Some people are IGA deficient and such that the IGA antibody tests done for celiac disease will have skewed results and cannot be trusted. In that case, there are IGG tests that can be ordered though, they aren't quite as specific for celiac disease as the IGA tests. But the possibility of IGA deficiency is why a "total IGA" test should always be ordered along with the TTG-IGA. The other modality is an endoscopy (scoping of the upper GI track) with a biopsy of the small bowel lining. The aforementioned autoimmune response produces inflammation in the small bowel lining which, over time, damages the structure of the lining. The biopsy is sent to a lab and microscopically analyzed for signs of this damage. If the damage is severe enough, it can often be spotted during the scoping itself. The endoscopy/biopsy is used as confirmation when the antibody results are positive, since there is a small chance that elevated antibody test scores can be caused by things other than celiac disease, particularly when the antibody test numbers are not particularly high. If the antibody test numbers are 10x normal or higher, physicians will sometimes declare an official diagnosis of celiac disease without an endoscopy/biopsy, particularly in the U.K. Some practitioners use stool tests to detect celiac disease but this modality is not widely recognized in the medical community as valid. Both celiac testing modalities outlined above require that you have been consuming generous amounts of gluten for weeks/months ahead of time. Many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet or even reducing their gluten intake prior to testing. By doing so, they invalidate the testing because antibodies stop being produced, disappear from the blood and the lining of the small bowel begins to heal. So, then they are stuck in no man's land, wondering if they have celiac disease or NCGS. To resume gluten consumption, i.e., to undertake a "gluten challenge" is out of the question because their reaction to gluten is so strong that it would endanger their health. The lining of the small bowel is the place where all of the nutrition in the food we consume is absorbed. This lining is made up of billions of microscopically tiny fingerlike projections that create a tremendous nutrient absorption surface area. The inflammation caused by celiac disease wears down these fingers and greatly reduces the surface area needed for nutrient absorption. Thus, people with celiac disease often develop iron deficiency anemia and a host of other vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It is likely that many more people who have issues with gluten suffer from NCGS than from celiac disease. We actually know much more about the mechanism of celiac disease than we do about NCGS but some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease.
    • SamAlvi
      Thank you for the clarification and for taking the time to explain the terminology so clearly. I really appreciate your insight, especially the distinction between celiac disease and NCGS and how anemia can point more toward celiac. This was very helpful for me.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.