Want To Know About Anti Gliadin Antibody Test

[FoggedIn]

I understand that the Anti Gliadin Antibody test is considered antiquated, but that is the only test I have ever had, and it was positive for both IgG and IgA reaction to gliadin.  I have learned a great deal about Celiac diagnosis from this site and forum that I wish I had known before going on a GFD, but I had the AGA test run by a naturopath who I had begun to see as a last straw to help me deal with some increasingly serious health issues my regular doctors were not able to address from a Western medical standpoint (at least from the angle they were addressing it).  

 

But what I am wondering is, is the AGA still acceptable when it comes to determining a reaction to gluten?  Perhaps all my improvement has been from the other foods I have been avoiding (had a food sensitivity panel run as well)?  Can the AGA give false positives?  Why is it no longer used for a Celiac panel?

 

Also, I have read lots of references in this forum of the "short list" and "long list" of celiac symptoms.  Can someone direct me to the "long list"?  I am curious if some of my health issues that cleared up are on that list--I never really had gastrointestinal symptoms other than bloating, which I didn't realize was not normal.  The most important symptoms that have improved/resolved for me are recurrent MRSA infections, ADHD symptoms, chronic fatigue, asthma, eczema, itchy/oozy ear canals, and an terribly itchy rash that happens on my fingers.  Symptoms I was hoping would improve but haven't (yet) are joint pain and anxiety.  We still have gluten in our household, though.  We will be scrubbing down the house and removing all gluten after we receive final results for one of my sons.  We plan on removing gluten from his diet whether he has Celiac or not to see if we see symptom improvement for him, and I hope in the process it will improve things for me to a greater degree.

 

Thank you for any input, and for letting me ramble.  As ambiguous as my "diagnosis" is, and as frustrating as a very restricted diet can be, I am very, VERY grateful to be here, and to have found significant healing.

[cyclinglady]

My GI ran both the AGA tests along with others. I tested positive on only one of the AGA test and negative in the TTG which is the more popular of all the tests and most often given alone (unfortunately) to test for celiac disease. My biopsy was a Marsh Stage IIIB which is moderate to severe damage.

My doc still uses it as part of the complete panel. I can not answer why istis not used as much. Probably a cost issue, I bet.

Here is a link to the University of Chicago's celiac website showing a list of 300 symptoms. Anemia was my primary symptom. Tough to catch the C D. Dx, since I have a genetic anemia on top of it.

Open Original Shared Link

[Solandra]

I'm curious to know more. I was positive on Gliadin AB, IGA but not on TTG so my Endo told me not to worry about it, while my GP said not to eat gluten, and my mother in law who works in a lab thinks I don't have Celiac and that I would have been sick as a kid. It's so confusing. Then someone on here said their Immunologist told them IGA doesn't matter at all. So I want to go home and eat a doughnut.

[cyclinglady]

Really? Listen to your MIL? Ha! Please direct her to the U of Chicago's celiac website (link above)! She needs to do some some research! Listen to your GP and eat a gluten-free donut. There are some frozen ones out there that are pretty good (once you have "forgotten the taste of a gluten-containing one!)

[Solandra]

I think she read some random studies that made her think that way. I read on the site you posted that you can develop it at any time. She seemed to think that if you don't have it as a kid, you can't have it as an adult, but you could become gluten-sensitive. I told her it's not like I WANT to deal with this, to be accused of just doing it because it's a trendy fad and that it's not a real thing isn't fun. I'm thinking I should get my son tested, too.

[cyclinglady]

I tested my daughter (was recommended by my GI and research supports) and encouraged all 1st-degree relatives to get tested. Our GP ordered the entire celiac panel and checked for anemia as well with no resistance!

celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, as you know. It was first discovered in kids, but it can develop at any time.

[Solandra]

Yeah, and considering I have Hashimoto's, which is another autoimmune disorder, a positive result on a blood test, as well as one of the genes for Celiac, I think telling me I don't have it is a little weird.

[cyclinglady]

Kid testing is important as celiac disease can impact their development. Better to be safe than sorry.

[Fenrir]

Anti Gliadin testing was good for it's day when there were no other tests but it was only about 80% sensative, so 20% of celiacs would come up negative.

 

I would probably ask to have a TTG and DGP tests done, if you are positive on either of those you almost certainly have celiac disease.

[nvsmom]

The AGA (anti-gliadin antibodies) tests are both about 80-95% specific to celiac disease.  A positive result means that there is a 80-95% chance that it is caused by celiac disease.  Look at page 12 of this report for the numbers: Open Original Shared Link

Some doctors also believe that the AGA tests can indicate non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) which is just as nasty, in my opinion, as celiac disease.  I think that account for some of the AGA "false positives" for celiac disease.... but the treatment is the same.

 

The problem with the AGA tests are that they miss so many celiacs.  There are not very sensitive. If the AGA caught you, you're lucky.

 

I'm afraid that joint pain, nervous system and brain issues are often the last symptoms to improve.  I'm two and a half years gluten-free and my joint pain is finally now quite a bit better, but still not better.  I get weeks that can be hard, but it is much better than the months of severe pain that I used to get. I was convince that I had lupus or RA because I was still so bad after being gluten-free over 9 months.  Joint pain can take a long long time to get better.  

 

Hang in there.

[nora-n]

According to finnish research, many old people get diagnosed with celiac, and people get celiac even though they are not young children all the time. 

They found 3% of the tested old people to be positive with the Ttg test when testing a lot of old people.

 

Not just young children get celiac disease.

[Solandra]

I found this article to be interesting: Open Original Shared Link

 

It said that five people with positive AGA IGA antibodies but negative for TTG went on to have positive biopsies, but 61 were positive AGA, negative TTG and negative biopsies. I was only positive on AGA, so I'm thinking I should probably challenge and go on to get a biopsy. Diagnosis on AGA alone seems really iffy to me, unless it comes back WAY high. Even then, maybe go in for a biopsy.

[nvsmom]

I found this article to be interesting: Open Original Shared Link

 

It said that five people with positive AGA IGA antibodies but negative for TTG went on to have positive biopsies, but 61 were positive AGA, negative TTG and negative biopsies. I was only positive on AGA, so I'm thinking I should probably challenge and go on to get a biopsy. Diagnosis on AGA alone seems really iffy to me, unless it comes back WAY high. Even then, maybe go in for a biopsy.

 

If you choose to get retested, consider getting more blood tests done.  That AGA IgA test is an old test and considered to be less reliable (because of it's high false negative rate).  Some doctors think the AGA tests can indicate non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) as well as celiac disease, so if you are feeling better gluten-free, that is something to consider... With hashi's though, I would take a hard look at it being celiac disease.

 

Blood tests need a 2-3 month gluten challenge unlike the 2-4 week challenge needed for a biopsy.  The biopsy has a false negative rate as high as 20%, so make sure they take a bunch of biopsy samples.

 

Anyways, these are the blood tests to get done:

tTG IgA and tTG IgG

DGP IgA and DGP IgG (these deaminated gliadian peptide tests replaced the old AGA antigliadin antibodies tests)

EMA IgA

total serum IgA - control test.

 

Good luck!

[SMRI]

I think she read some random studies that made her think that way. I read on the site you posted that you can develop it at any time. She seemed to think that if you don't have it as a kid, you can't have it as an adult, but you could become gluten-sensitive. I told her it's not like I WANT to deal with this, to be accused of just doing it because it's a trendy fad and that it's not a real thing isn't fun. I'm thinking I should get my son tested, too.

 

Well, I didn't have any problems as a kid.  I was rarely sick and pretty much never sick with any stomach issues, no bathroom issues, grew fine, etc.  At 48 I was being tested for something else and they tossed on the Celiac tests because I have a niece with Celiac and boom, I have it.  Your MIL needs to read real information.  

[Solandra]

If you choose to get retested, consider getting more blood tests done.  That AGA IgA test is an old test and considered to be less reliable (because of it's high false negative rate).  Some doctors think the AGA tests can indicate non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) as well as celiac disease, so if you are feeling better gluten-free, that is something to consider... With hashi's though, I would take a hard look at it being celiac disease.

 

Blood tests need a 2-3 month gluten challenge unlike the 2-4 week challenge needed for a biopsy.  The biopsy has a false negative rate as high as 20%, so make sure they take a bunch of biopsy samples.

 

Anyways, these are the blood tests to get done:

tTG IgA and tTG IgG

DGP IgA and DGP IgG (these deaminated gliadian peptide tests replaced the old AGA antigliadin antibodies tests)

EMA IgA

total serum IgA - control test.

 

Good luck!

 

 

To be honest, I don't notice too much of a difference. I had some pizza last night, no stomach upset, nothing out of the ordinary. So I'll get another blood test next year. See, it's tough to know what's related to what, since a lot of symptoms I've had could just be related to Hashimoto's. Which, some other studies I've read say Celiac occurs in about 1% of the general population, and in Hashimoto's patients it's about 2-4%. I think there's a lot of BS out there and people are way over inflating the numbers.. Not all Hashi's patients need to avoid gluten, and there's also been no evidence that gluten consumption contributes to more autoimmune diseases. I like to go straight to the NIH studies and not read stuff on the internet, because Naturopaths and others out there will give you a million different reasons to think you're sick from various things in your diet. I like evidence based medicine.