What Other Labs Should Be Checked?

[CeliacMommaX2]

Once celiac is diagnosed, what other labs should be checked?  I assume we should check for anemia, vit D... what else?  I have zero confidence in our GI doc and want to be on top of things.  All of the follow up we have been told to do is a weight check in 3 months for our 4 year old and a follow up appointment in 6 months with GI to check celiac labs again.

 

Thank you!

[nvsmom]

Good ones to check are D, B12, folate, A, Mg, Ca, Fe, ferritin, K, Zn, and Cu.  Remember supplements may not be absorbed well until healing is underway (often after 6 months gluten-free) so discus large doses or injections with the Dr, until numbers really improve.

 

A bone density scan is a good idea, especially if Ca is low.

 

It`s also a good idea to double check for thyroiditis (hypothyroidism), and recheck it in the future if any symptoms of hypothyroidism appear.  Check:

• TSH - should be near a 1 regardless of the range
• Free T4 and Free T3 - Should be in the 50-75% range of the lab`s normal range.  One can be hypo even if your results (especially of FT3) are in the lower half of normal.  Do not mistake these labs for T4, T3, total T4, or total T3 - they won`t give you as accurate a picture.
• TPO Ab - Should be fairly low.  You can have thyroid problems without this being elevated (my thyroid barely works but TPo Ab has always been within normal for me)

Diabetes type 1 is another co-occurring disease that exists most frequently with celiac disease.  It can appear in adulthood so if you have insulin issues, keep an eye on that.

 

That`s all I can think of.  Good luck!

[Fenrir]

There should be a comprehensive metabolic panel that is ordered. It should cover all the micronutrients, vitamins and minerals. Thyroid and liver testing as well, because Celiac can do a number on both sometimes. My Liver enzymes were elevated before I went gluten free. Also, people can get anemic as well so a CBC should be ordered. 

 

If anything comes back abnormal they should be monitored and possible nutrition supplementation could be ordered. My Vitamin D was about 5 before going gluten free so I have been taking a pretty high dose of that.