Food Allergy/celiac Panel Results - What Does It Mean?

adkwriting · February 27, 2015

Hi all,

I'm new to this whole thing. Background is this: I had a major stress event a few months ago, major sleep deprivation. An on-again off-again rash that I thought I could control by avoiding dairy came on with a vengence. I felt like I became allergic to everything. My makeup, shampoo, who knows what. I'd wake up with a rash on my face, arms, elbows. Swollen eyes. My doctor had ordered food allergy and celiac panels. In waiting for results, I've done some research and reflection. Whenever I stress (and I'm normally a very healthy, active person), I have had trouble with rashes in the last 6-7 years (I assumed they were eczema, but when they were bad, they blistered. Mirrored. Sounds like DH to me now.) I've had periods where pasta or beer have put me into immediate stomach pain. But if I lay off it for a while, I seem to be fine again. I've also been hypothyroid for the last 2 years. Nearly always bloated, but rarely have any other sign of intestinal distress.

Results arrived today. I'm not sure what any of this means, other than the celiacs panel was negative, but it seems there's a lot to consider with these results ... Do my food allergy panels with high levels for IgA and IgG with wheat, gluten, and gliaden mean anything? Not sure how to proceed.

tTG-IgA 2.82 (reference range is >15=positive)

Gliadin-A 3.42 (reference range is >15=positive)

Gliadin-G 9.38 (reference range is >15=positive)

Food allergy Panel

High IgA for almost all dairy, including casein.

Moderate IgG for all dairy (whey was high)

Wheat gliadin: low IgA, high IgG

Wheat gluten: moderate IgA, high IgG

Rye: low IgA, high IgG

Spelt: low IgA, high IgG

Whole Wheat: moderate IgA, high IgG

StephanieL · February 27, 2015

Was this a chiropractor or alternative med Dr who ordered these?

IgA and IgG do not measure anything really for an allergy. Allergies that cause anaphylactic reactions are IgE mediated. Those others don't indicate an allergy and there is no testing for intolerance.

adkwriting · February 27, 2015

It was my dr., who also has a background in functional medicine. The tests also measured for IgE, but didn't produce anything out of the normal range.

So do the IgA and IgG signify anything at all? Or am I back to square one.

cyclinglady · February 27, 2015

First, you did not get a complete celiac panel. Second, you were not tested for a IGA deficiency which can affect your results. Third, DH (celiac rash) is not always caught in a blood panel. A special skin rash biopsy is required.

I am not an expert in DH, but I suggest you read the DH threads located in our DH section. There are photos and suggestions as to how to get a proper diagnosis.

Take care.

nvsmom · February 27, 2015

Welcome to the board.

On 2/27/2015 at 2:44 AM, adkwriting said:

tTG-IgA 2.82 (reference range is >15=positive)

Gliadin-A 3.42 (reference range is >15=positive)

Gliadin-G 9.38 (reference range is >15=positive)

Food allergy Panel

High IgA for almost all dairy, including casein.

Moderate IgG for all dairy (whey was high)

Wheat gliadin: low IgA, high IgG

Wheat gluten: moderate IgA, high IgG

Rye: low IgA, high IgG

Spelt: low IgA, high IgG

Whole Wheat: moderate IgA, high IgG

The first three tests you mentioned are celiac disease tests but not the best ones. This is the complete panel:

(tTG IgA - you had this done) and tTG IgG
DGP IgA and DGP IgG (deaminated gliadin peptides)
EMA IgA (endomysial antibodies) raerly positive if tTG IgA is negative
total serum IgA - control test
AGA IgA and AGA IgG (anti-gliadin antibodies) - these tests, which you had done, are older and less reliable tests which have been replaced by the DGP tests. Not many doctors do these any more because their sensitivity is so low.
endoscopic biopsy - 6+ samples taken
dh biopsy - those with dh seem to be seronegative more than the average celiac

You need to be eating gluten for these tests to be accurate.

Info on testing can be found on pages 8-12 of this report: Open Original Shared Link

As the others said, allergies are IgE related. I do know that there is no such thing as a gluten allergy, but people can have wheat allergy.

Food sensitivities are IgA and IgG based. It is not widely accepted that IgA and IgG food sensitivities can be tested, but I know people who had it done and found it to be accurate. I think you'll have to decide for yourself whether those tests worked for you. The IgA part of the immune system is based in the mucosal membranes (mouth, intestines) but the IgG is system wide. Food sensitivities are an immune response... I guess the only way to tell if they are correct is to cut those foods out of your diet for a few months and see how it goes.

Finish your celiac testing first before you go gluten-free though.

Best wishes.

cyclinglady · February 27, 2015

On 2/27/2015 at 3:50 PM, nvsmom said:

Welcome to the board.

The first three tests you mentioned are celiac disease tests but not the best ones. This is the complete panel:

(tTG IgA - you had this done) and tTG IgG

DGP IgA and DGP IgG (deaminated gliadin peptides)

EMA IgA (endomysial antibodies) raerly positive if tTG IgA is negative

total serum IgA - control test

AGA IgA and AGA IgG (anti-gliadin antibodies) - these tests, which you had done, are older and less reliable tests which have been replaced by the DGP tests. Not many doctors do these any more because their sensitivity is so low.

endoscopic biopsy - 6+ samples taken

dh biopsy - those with dh seem to be seronegative more than the average celiac

You need to be eating gluten for these tests to be accurate.
Info on testing can be found on pages 8-12 of this report: Open Original Shared Link

As the others said, allergies are IgE related. I do know that there is no such thing as a gluten allergy, but people can have wheat allergy.

Food sensitivities are IgA and IgG based. It is not widely accepted that IgA and IgG food sensitivities can be tested, but I know people who had it done and found it to be accurate. I think you'll have to decide for yourself whether those tests worked for you. The IgA part of the immune system is based in the mucosal membranes (mouth, intestines) but the IgG is system wide. Food sensitivities are an immune response... I guess the only way to tell if they are correct is to cut those foods out of your diet for a few months and see how it goes.

Finish your celiac testing first before you go gluten-free though.

Best wishes.

Well said!

adkwriting · February 27, 2015

Thank you all! That was incredibly helpful. This is all a foriegn language to me right now, but now I feel like I can advocate for more testing. It's obvious my body is very unhappy with something, and I don't want to screw this process up and rule out celiacs before I should. After that, elimination diet.