Help Interpret Daughter's Blood Work

[brookeadrienne]

Please see my other post below.. it has more information. Thanks!

 

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum and just don't know where else to turn. I am trying to interpret my daughters blood work.  We just had all three kids tested and will get a copy of their new blood work on Monday.  The nurse said she and the doctor didn't know much about how to read the blood work but that one child was a 32 and the other was a 45?!  This is what one blood work showed 1 1/2 years ago. 

IGA 42

EMA negative

Gliadin >3

Gliadin igg 11

TTG IGA >3

 

This particular child's blood work was done because at 14 months old she had what we first believed to be a seizure because she went stiff, cried a very painful cry then fell limp into my arms losing consciousness.  She has continued to have these episodes and abdominal pain.  They are usually shortly after eating, not when passing a bm.  She now has a sluggish digestive system (usually "sticky" bm) and constipation at times.  Miralax used to make her bm less ticky, never really loose, but now the same dosage no longer has an affect and the docs just want me to up her dosage.  I do not agree.  If she was 70 and you were telling me she needed a fiber supplliment daily that would be one thing but they are trying to tell me she needs this daily for the rest of her life.  I am at a loss of what this might be.  A lower GI study revealed nothing, all the bloodwork apparently revealed nothing and all the docs just keep telling me she is negative for celiac.  Friends are suggesting going gluten free but I'd really like a diagnosis of some sort so I know how severe or not this is.  My grandfather had Chrons, my aunt as leaky gut and is allergic to almost every type of food, my father and sister have ibs (although refuse to go to a doc).  All three kids are displaying varying symptoms and I don't know who to go to. Any suggestions?!?!

[GottaSki]

Welcome!

 

I combined your posts to one thread so members can respond to you in the same place.

 

Take care

[brookeadrienne]

I am new to this site.  I am at a loss, extremely frustrated with docs and really just need something to keep me going... so ANY suggestions are welcome!!!

 

I have three kids.  One of them had a strange episode at 14 months old.  She went stiff, painful cry, fell limp into my arms and lost consciousness.  All tests showed no heart condition or seizure.  Negative lower Gi study. Ultrasounds shower gallstones which were later dismissed as technician reader error.  Xray showed her digestive system backed up so they said she just passed out from trying to pass a bm... EVEN THOUGH every little finger up the booty check has always revealed soft bms.  She has continued to have these painful episodes, usually after eating, not when passing a bm.  She has always been sporadic with bms and they are usually "sticky" or thick like playdough.  Docs says her celiac test was inconclusive and therefore negative.  This was her results back in February of 2012.

IGA 42

EMA negative

Gliadin >3

Gliadin igg 11

TTG IGA >3

 

All three kids just had panels redone and I will get copies on Monday.  Nurse says one child was 32 and another was 45 but claims neither she nor the doc know how to interpret these reults properly and I should take them to the Peds GI.

 

Past Peds GI put child on Miralax after everything kept coming back negative. This made the bms less sticky and more soft but never loose as they claimed it would.  The dosage the suggested over a year ago now has no affect and they just suggest upping the dosage.  Pediatrician says Miralax should not be taken for extended periods of time but PEds GI doc disagrees.  I agree with the Pediatrician.  If she was 70 and you were suggesting she needed a fiber supplement daily that might be understandable but you have basically said a 14 month old (now 3) needs it daily (and to up the dosage every time it stops working) for the rest of her life?!  

 

Friends are recommending a gluten-free diet but I'd really like a diagnosis to let me know how severe or not severe this is.  Family history includes: my grandfather had Chron's, my father has IBS (although refuses to go to doc), his sister has leaky gut and is allergic to almost every type of food and my sister also has IBS (smoking made it worse but quit smoking and still refuses to go to a doc as well).

 

I am at a loss and just don't know where to turn. Any ideas, comments, suggestions?!?!

[GottaSki]

Hello again...

 

Do you have the reference ranges for the results you listed...they can vary between labs.  

 

For now do not remove gluten.

[brookeadrienne]

Hello again...

 

Do you have the reference ranges for the results you listed...they can vary between labs.  

 

For now do not remove gluten.

No, that's what I am trying to find out.  We are military so it adds extra headaches to all this  One forum said 53 was "very high" and the only numbers I can find are in the thousands so I don't know how to interpret that.

[GottaSki]

It looks like the IgA numbers are total serum IgA - if I could see ranges I'd know for sure.

 

If it is Total IgA then these numbers show IgA deficiency which means the IgA based tests are not accurate.  This explains why the IgG based test had a higher value...again without ranges it is hard to know if it is a positive.  I don't see a tTG-IgG...If it has not been run it should.

[nvsmom]

Celiacs are more likely to be deficient in Iga than the regular population. About 5%, or 1/20, celiacs have low Iga, so that in iteslf could lead a doctor to suspect celiac disease, but it's not diagnostic. 

 

I found the following ranges at this site:  Open Original Shared Link

IGAS/87938: IgA Subclasses, Serum

IgA
0-<5 months: 7-37 mg/dL
5-<9 months: 16-50 mg/dL
9-<15 months: 27-66 mg/dL
15-<24 months: 36-79 mg/dL
2-<4 years: 27-246 mg/dL
4-<7 years: 29-256 mg/dL
7-<10 years: 34-274 mg/dL
10-<13 years: 42-295 mg/dL
13-<16 years: 52-319 mg/dL
16-<18 years: 60-337 mg/dL
> or =18 years: 61-356 mg/dL
 
IgA1
0-<5 months: 10-34 mg/dL
5-<9 months: 14-41 mg/dL
9-<15 months: 20-50 mg/dL
15-<24 months: 24-58 mg/dL
2-<4 years: 16-162 mg/dL
4-<7 years: 17-187 mg/dL
7-<10 years: 21-221 mg/dL
10-<13 years: 27-250 mg/dL
13-<16 years: 36-275 mg/dL
16-<18 years: 44-289 mg/dL
> or =18 years: 50-314 mg/dL
 
IgA2
0-<5 months: 0.4-5.5 mg/dL
5-<9 months: 1.5-6.2 mg/dL
9-<15 months: 2.8-7.0 mg/dL
15-<24 months: 3.9-7.7 mg/dL
2-<4 years: 1.3-31.1 mg/dL
4-<7 years: 1.1-39.1 mg/dL
7-<10 years: 1.4-48.0 mg/dL
10-<13 years: 2.6-53.4 mg/dL
13-<16 years:  4.7-55.1 mg/dL
16-<18 years: 6.6-54.3 mg/dL
> or =18 years: 9.7-156.0 mg/dL

 

As Lisa said, the ranges vary between labs though.. 

 

For the celiac tests, you really do need the ranges. Some tests, like the tTG IgA can have normal ranges from 0-4, or 0-20, or even just 0-1. Can you find out what lab ran the test and then contact them for ranges?

 

If you can't find answers, and there are no more celiac testing options available to you, all you can do is implement a gluten-free diet for about 6 months and observe and take note in any changes of health. It might be worth trying the gluten-free diet even if all tests are negative. Two of my kids had symptoms or gluten sensitivity but tested negative on their (limited) celiac test. I made us all gluten-free anyways and they are doing much much better now. You don't need a diagnosis to take action when the medical community stalls on you.

 

Best wishes. I hope your kids feel better soon. And wlecome to the board,

[brookeadrienne]

It looks like the IgA numbers are total serum IgA - if I could see ranges I'd know for sure.

 

If it is Total IgA then these numbers show IgA deficiency which means the IgA based tests are not accurate.  This explains why the IgG based test had a higher value...again without ranges it is hard to know if it is a positive.  I don't see a tTG-IgG...If it has not been run it should.

Thank you, I'll look into that