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Dgp Iga And Other Diseases That Cause It To Be Positive

Missylulu83

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Missylulu83 Newbie
Missylulu83
Posted

I was only positive on the deamidated gliadiin iga. I was told to go gluten-free and see how I do. I had no idea that getting an endoscopy was a big factor in diagnosing celiac. I went gluten-free for 9 months. I did great for about six months with no symptoms or pain. Then out of nowhere I started getting sick again. I never cheated on the diet, I didn't eat out and I only eat whole foods, nothing processed. I ended up getting a second opinion to another GI. He was arrogant, rude and didn't even examine me. My doctors office sent him my records from over a year ago and didn't include my celiac panel. I told him my results and he said "you don't have celiac, you need to be positive on the ttg test for you to have celiac." He pretty much rushed me out the door and didn't give me any advise on how to help me. I decided to go back to the clinic that ran the test , they have me setup for an endoscopy and colonoscopy for next week and I've been eating gluten again. I've been so sick for so long that I can't tell if it's the gluten or other foods making me sick. I hurt everywhere, I have shortness of breath, my pain radiates from my abdomen to my back (gallstones have been ruled out ). I feel like I'm crazy and nobody believes me. My family and doctors seem irritated when I talk about feeling sick because nothing is showing up on blood tests or ultrasounds. Here are my results for my celiac panel.

Deamidated gliadin pep ab igg -negative

Deamidated gliadin Pdp ab iga- positive - 18 flagged as high - reference range is 0.0-6.1 EUmL

Everything else was negative. They did the full celiac panel

What else would cause dgp to be positive.

Any info is much appreciated. Thanks

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Missylulu83 Newbie
Missylulu83
Posted
  • Author

I'm on my phone so it autocorrects everything and I noticed a few errors. Hoping you all understand my post :)

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

I'm on my phone so it autocorrects everything and I noticed a few errors. Hoping you all understand my post :)

 

 

You can use edit and fix something odd.

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

Welcome to the board.  :)

 

The DGP IgA is a really good test for detecting celiac disease. If you had a positive test, and feel better on the gluten-free diet, then I would say it is pretty much a sure thing that you have celiac disease. You don't need a positive tTG IgA to have celiac disease, nor do all celiacs have positive biopsies. That new doctor sounds like quite a dud.  :(

 

This site discusses the DGP test a bit:

Open Original Shared Link

 

This report has information on the DGP tests on pages 11 and 12. As you can see from the page 12 chart, the DGP IgA's specificity is 93-96%. That means that out of 100 positive tests, 4-8 do not have celiac disease and would not feel better on the gluten-free diet.

Open Original Shared Link

 

Have you had the DGP retested? It's one of the better tests for monitoring how well you are staying gluten-free. Gluten can slip in in spices, personal care products like soap, toothpaste or shampoo; or it could be in a product that is not made in a gluten free facility or contaminated bulk bin foods. Sometimes recipes change too. Some fries got me last year when their ingredients were changed.

 

Have your kidneys been checked? Pain that radiates to the back can sometimes be caused by kidney problems.

 

How about your thyroid? Thyroiditis is common among celiacs and can cause many symptoms that feel like a glutening.  To check your thyroid, request TSH (should be near a 1), free T4 and free T3 (should be in the upper half of the lab's normal range), and TPO Ab.

 

Best wishes. I hope you feel well soon.

NoGlutenCooties Contributor
NoGlutenCooties
Posted

I agree with nvsmom - sure looks like Celiac to me.  Just wanted to add - please don't get discouraged because you ran into a clueless doctor or two... there are idiots in the doctor population just like everywhere else.  And being that there is no prescription for them to write in response to Celiac I really think some of them just don't care to educate themselves about it.  But there are doctors out there who do care and are knowledgeable and who won't treat you like you're crazy.  Sometimes they can be hard to find.

 

In my opinion, based on the test results you posted, you have Celiac.  You're either running into cross-contamination issues or there's hidden gluten in something that you're eating - or there is also something else going on not related to gluten.  Recheck all the labels, as companies change their recipes.  (A common theme on here is ... every label, every time.)  Check your vitamins and any medications too. 

I do however, think that it's good that you're double checking to make sure the pain you're having isn't attributed to something else, potentially more serious.  I think there is a tendency for Celiacs to blame everything on gluten... and sometimes we get sick with other stuff just like everyone else.

Missylulu83 Newbie
Missylulu83
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for the replies!! I will know more on Wednesday after my endo/colonoscopy. I was talking with a friend who is a nurse and she mentioned hiatal hernia as possibility. It really makes me wonder. Wish me luck! I'm a little nervous about the colonoscopy prep :/

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

Thanks for the replies!! I will know more on Wednesday after my endo/colonoscopy. I was talking with a friend who is a nurse and she mentioned hiatal hernia as possibility. It really makes me wonder. Wish me luck! I'm a little nervous about the colonoscopy prep :/

You will do just fine. Just drink all the fluids as recommend, to prevent dehydration.

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Jen-1984 Apprentice
Jen-1984
Posted

I also had one test that came back positive, which the deamidated gliadin IgG portion of the test. My labs were also sent to a gastro doc who also was very rude, said that I didn't have it at all and scoffed when he heard me say that I felt better going gluten free. I did end up finding out a month later after the celiac test came back positive that I have a milk allergy. I didn't feel completely better and when I found that out I went gluten and dairy free. That really made me feel so much better. I would go through with the colonoscopy and endoscopy but you may want to go to an allergist just to rule out any other allergies. You probably don't have any but it is better safe than sorry.

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