Igg Against Ttg 18 Month Old Babies Results....

[brit16]

I started a thread a couple weeks ago about my 18 month old having diarrhea for 2 months ( green, yellow color mst of te time...) we just recently got our results back that ped ordered......(here is the update I posted, sorry I haven't gotten any responses on other thread....)

Thank you everyone. Right after we went ahead with the blood test, and after I posted this comment, his diarrhea suddenly let up. Pooping less often, less runny..... So, I convinced myself I shouldn't have been googling and it was likely just a need of probiotics....although he had been off antibiotics quite a while.

THEN.... He got a slight fever and I decided to go ahead and take him in (he's never had fever) and we were going out of town for the weekend. To my surprise the dr came in and said that his blood test were already in. To my surprise.... He said his results were "slightly elevated" ( IgG - ttg 7.5 --- he said negative was considered under 6.) Also re-weighed him and he was even less than appointment before.... Has not gained any weight at all in about 4 months, but hasn't lost. He eats every bit as much as his 4 year old brother- sometimes even more. Dr does not know much about celiac but is concerned about the no weight gain along with the elevated test results and is sending us to Texas Children's to see a specialist.

Can anyone give me some insight on these test results - this is the only test he ran, which I know is not a complete idea of what is going on. But I would loved some experienced opinions on what these results could possibly mean? Thanks in advance.

[Georgia-guy]

If the range for that lab has negative at under 6, I think it's safe today that it's celiac. The specialist will likely decide to order a full celiac panel, and possibly an endoscopic biopsy (not sure about the 18 months old and a scope though). If the doctor doesn't know much about celiac, that test may be the only one he knows to run, and he did the right thing by sending you to someone else. Do NOT remove gluten from his diet based on that one result, wIt until seeing the specialist and ask then in case they want to do more testing (which is likely).

[LauraTX]

Hi Brit16,

You probably haven't gotten many replies because your child is so young and his doctor has done the right thing by referring you to a specialist.  At this point it will just be a wait to get further testing done by the specialist.  Let us know what happens.

 

Edit: And yes, as mentioned above, do not discontinue feeding him gluten yet.

[Questore]

The blessing for the very young is that they heal VERY fast once you know what is wrong...I know it's hard, but keep the gluten in until all the tests are done!

[nvsmom]

A positive tTG IgG probably means celiac. When you see the doctor ask for the rest of the celiac tests to be run: tTG IgA, DGP IgA, DGP IgG, total serum IgA, EMA IgA.

 

Good luck!

[brit16]

Thanks everyone.... I am keeping him on his normal diet. He eats a lot of bread, he actually goes to the pantry and brings the loaf of bread to me wanting to eat it.

I guess what I am really wondering is, are there other reasons this test (igG ttg) could be "elevated" or is this pretty much a sign of celiac? Also, how do I interperet the fact that his constant diarrhea is suddenly gone? A little over a week now. Tonight he cried really hard on and off for maybe 30 minutes, he was passing gas, then eventually went poop, and seemed fine after that. He rarely ever cries, he is a very happy boy. I felt so bad for him.

One more question about the results.... I didn't really understand the whole "under 6 is negative, over 9 is positive" what about the numbers in between ( which of course is where he fell - 7.5). Does this just mean it isn't that far along yet??? I read so many times that these test come up negative on little ones ( under 2 - even if they are celiac)--- so I was a little surprised when he said it was "slightly positive".

Thanks again everyone!!

[nvsmom]

A weak positive tTG IgA can, in a small minority of positive tests (<5%), indicate thyroiditis, diabetes, crohn's, colitis, chronic liver disease or a serious infection.... But 95% of the time a positive means celiac disease. Both the tTG test are for autoantibodies to the endomysial lining of the intestines; the IgA part of the immune system is tested more often ( i think) because it is the part of the immune system that is found in our mucosal linings (intestines, mouth) whereas the IgG version of the test is more of a systemic test. Both tests can diagnose celiac disease though.

As far as I know, the tTG IgG has a similar, to slightly lower, false positive rate that that of the tTG IgA. With celiac disease like symptoms, it is probably celiac disease but the other diseases I mentioned should be considered if she has other health problems.

Generally, a positive celiac disease test means celiac disease, sort of like a positive pregnancy test means one is pregnant - there is usually no wiggle room there.

Best wishes.

[brit16]

A weak positive tTG IgA can, in a small minority of positive tests (<5%), indicate thyroiditis, diabetes, crohn's, colitis, chronic liver disease or a serious infection.... But 95% of the time a positive means celiac disease. Both the tTG test are for autoantibodies to the endomysial lining of the intestines; the IgA part of the immune system is tested more often ( i think) because it is the part of the immune system that is found in our mucosal linings (intestines, mouth) whereas the IgG version of the test is more of a systemic test. Both tests can diagnose celiac disease though.

As far as I know, the tTG IgG has a similar, to slightly lower, false positive rate that that of the tTG IgA. With celiac disease like symptoms, it is probably celiac disease but the other diseases I mentioned should be considered if she has other health problems.

Generally, a positive celiac disease test means celiac disease, sort of like a positive pregnancy test means one is pregnant - there is usually no wiggle room there.

Best wishes.

Thank you for this response.  Since I don't really understand what the test are, I wasn't sure what it could actually mean.  Couldn't really ask my doctor.....I think I have learned more reading here than he knows !  But I do respect him for looking into it and for referring me to someone who does know.  Now I just wait to find out when they may be able to actually get us in.......

 

He does not have any other health problems, as far as we know.  He did go through a stretch where he had quite a few ear infections, and has had issues with wheezing on and off.  (Which I have read can also be celiac signs in a toddler), but these things come and go, they are not constant issues.  He is very happy, even through all this he is just a happy boy.  Honestly I am lucky I even noticed something was off, no one else thought anything was wrong ....... family, daycare, even the doctors the first few times I brought him in.  But for some reason I just felt like something wasn't right, that he should be growing faster than he was / is.

[brit16]

Thanks again everyone for the help.  I have one more question...... can constipation be a sign as well?  He went from diarrhea 2 straight months to now only pooping once a day, and leading up to the one poop he is crying and wanting to be held, until he poops, then he seems fine.  He really seems to be hurting, this has happened the last couple days.  He is very tough and hardly ever cries, so I know it must be bothering him quite a bit.  It this a "sign" also, or am I reading into things?  Thanks!

[kareng]

Yes.

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[brit16]

Yes.

Open Original Shared Link

Thanks!  I have read around.  But some things I read I thought did not mention constipation.  I am just ready to have a diagnosis, so we can start working on the changes that have to be made, and we don't even have an appointment yet!

[nvsmom]

Constipation? Oh yes... It is way more common than doctors seem to think.  Heck, I had over 35 years of it!  LOL

 

Ear infections(and sinus and chest infections) are another problem related to celiac disease.

[brit16]

Constipation? Oh yes... It is way more common than doctors seem to think.  Heck, I had over 35 years of it!  LOL

 

Ear infections(and sinus and chest infections) are another problem related to celiac disease.

Thanks!  I mentioned the ear infections and constant coughing etc. to the doctor and asked if it could all be related somehow and he basically shrugged it off.  He doesn't always cough, but seems to have it more often than not, and has had a few times where he said he was wheezing as well.  As for the ear infections, he never had any as a smaller baby (now I am wondering if they started after the intro to food), but at some point he got his first (can't remember when exactly) then probably had five more after that.  Not sure if this is more than the average kid, or just a side effect of going to daycare and getting all the junk going around???

[nvsmom]

I used to get a sinus or chest infection a couple of times a year before going gluten-free. I haven't had one in almost 2 years now.... I think your  system just gets worn down after being active so much and you just catch everything - that's just my own theory and interpretation though.

[brit16]

It's funny because he is never actually sick, in the sense that he does not get fever, EVER.  I have never had to keep him home sick or anything like that.  But at the same time he never seems completely well either.... like right now, he is fine but is starting to get the bad sounding cough again.  I guess time will tell.  But it is so hard to just keep waiting....

[nvsmom]

Hang in there. 

[brit16]

Thanks - went to the GI specialist today and he seemed very knowledgable. He was not convinced by the one "weak positive" that it is celiac. But he does want to do a biopsy - we are lucky enough to get in on Friday (they had a cancellation). It is scary thinking he has to go under but I will be glad to finally have some answers.

Now I keep thinking what if it is negative - then what - why were the levels elevated?! Is it likely that we won't have answers after the biopsy?

Thanks again everyone!

[nvsmom]

There is a chance that the biopsy could have a false negative. Celiac damage can be patchy so the more sample taken the better - 6 is considered to be a good starting point with more being better. More samples will mean a more accurate test.

 

Enjoy gluten this week. A couple of servings per day should be enough but if more can be tolerated, might as well go for it.

 

If tests can be re-run before the biopsy, you might want to see if that can be done.

 

Good luck on Friday!

[brit16]

Thanks! The one thing I was a little surprised by was that he didn't want to do anymore blood work - just the biopsy.... I even asked about running the other test besides the ttg my dr did and he said it wasn't necessary. The nurse did tell me that they biopsy multiple areas, not sure how many, but I was glad it was more than one! Thanks again for your help - I will be back to update!

[brit16]

Update:

biopsy - negative

He also ran a ttg - iga and it was a 1. I feel even more confused than I was before..... For some reason I knew this would be the case. Dr is out of country but nurse said his recommendation was just to wait and see and if we were still concerned later down the line we could do a colonoscopy. The main thing I am confused about was the elevated ttg. Wigs they would have repeated the exact same test, not the iga since I've learned here that it can be inaccurate for many celiac's.

I know we can just try the diet, but I feel like we won't be as intense with the diet if all these test are negative.....

He doesn't have the diarrhea often anymore but when he does poop it is never normal, green, yellow most of the time loose..... But the main concern to me is that he is not growing. Just confused about what to do next???

[nvsmom]

His symptoms all started with an illness, didn't they?  It is possible that he had a psoitive tTG IgG from his sickness - on occasion a severe infection can cause a false positive tTG IgA, and I'm assuming a falsely positive IgG.

 

Concerning celiac disease, I think you have two options:

1. Continue to eat gluten and retest every couple of years, or sooner if he has symptoms, to make sure celiac disease it doesn't slip by undetected.
2. Have him go gluten-free now and observe him, keeping records with a food and symptoms journal, for 3-6 months to see if there is any improvement. If he improves, then it was probably celiac disease and you have an answer. If he does not improve, I would go back to the first option of rechecking just to be sure.

Anyone can go gluten-free. Gluten is not nutritionally needed, or even helpful, to people. It just makes baked goods light and fluffy, and it is more convenient to eat gluten.... That's main thing - it's more convenient to eat gluten.  Going 100% gluten-free requires a bit of care and planning, but if you are going to try the gluten-free diet, you'll want to make sure it is totally gluten-free and not just "guten-light" because that will continue to make a celiac sick even if there are no symptoms.

 

I suspected celiac disease for my oldest son because of migraines, slowed growth, and emotional issues.  His test was negative but he went gluten-free over a year ago anyways.  His emotions are much better, and he gets fewer migraines, but his growth has never really improved.  It has not slowed more, but it has not increased - his (two year) year younger brother is taller than him, and has been since they were 7 and 9.  He had a bone Xray to make sure his bone age was not off but it was close, yet 6 months ahead of his actual age. He had his TSH tested for thyroid problems, and I think it is high, but it is not high enough for a doctor to treat him (4.8 but the upper limit is 6.0).... I understand your frustration.  

 

Beyond trying the gluten-free diet, all I can think to do is check the thyroid, bone age, and growth hormone and IGF-1. Look for other food sensitivities and/or allergies too.

 

Best wishes with whatever you decide to do.

[tracyk]

Do you have any update brit16?  I am in a similar situation with my 7 year old.