Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Test Results How Reliable?

TomBone

Recommended Posts

TomBone Newbie
TomBone
Posted

Hi all, happy to find this forum!

In the last few months I've had stomach & digestion issues and wanted to check whether it has anything to do with gluten.

I used to eat at least 2 loafs of bread every day as well as other products which seem to have gluten (beer, cookies, soy sauce, etc.).

The doc I asked for a test, made me do four different tests (sorry if the test names are not 100% correct, I'm trying to translate them from Spanish):

 

Antic. Anti endomysial IgA - negative
Antic. Anti endomysial IgG - negative
Transglutaminasa IgG - 9.7U/ml (positive above 10)
Transglutaminasa IgA - 8.3U/ml (positive above 10)

Now, I'm wondering what exactly those results mean. On first sight, they are negative, but Transglutaminasa IgG is very close to the threshold. In fact, I stopped eating bread around 2 weeks before the test (but occasionally had things with gluten) and didn't drink beer for more than 2 months. Could the values have dropped just below the threshold because of that?

How high are valued typically if you have celiac disease? Would they be well over 10U/ml?

I'm hesitant to do any additional testing due to the high cost (my insurance refuses to cover it).

 

Also, from what I've read it's possible to be gluten intolerant but celiac disease negative? Are the negative effects on the gut similar in both cases or is it health-wise ok to eat gluten if intolerant?
Sorry for the very basic questions but I'm pretty new to all this and find the available information quite confusing...

 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

I like to refer to this report when discussing test reliability: Open Original Shared Link 

On page 12 it shows the sensitivity of the EMA IgA and tTG IgA, which is the likelihood of the disease being caught by the test.  Both tests can miss up to 25% of celiacs with a sensitivity of 75-100% and 75-95%. They are pretty good tests for most celiacs.

 

The endomysial tests (EMA) are similar to the tTG tests but they tend to detect more advanced disease.  If you are relatively new to celiac disease, it is possible to get a positive tTG with a negative EMA.  It is very unusual for a celiac to get a positive EMA with a negative tTG though.

 

The tTG IgG is not a very sensitive test.  It's sensitivity is as low as 40% which means it can miss the majority of celiacs.  This report discusses it a bit: Open Original Shared Link

 

Your tTG results are both fairly close to being positive and I would be suspicious too.  You might want to request the DGP IgA and DGP IgG (deaminated gliadin peptides) tests.  Those tests are the best for detecting early celiac disease and sometimes catch cases of celiac disease that the tTG tests do not.  

 

Make sure you are eating gluten in the 2-3 months prior to testing.

 

Another option is the biopsy.

 

If you can't get further testing, or the tests are negative, you should be retested every year or so if you continue to eat gluten.  If you decide to go gluten-free anyways, further testing is not crucial.

 

Best wishes and welcome to the board.  :)

TomBone Newbie
TomBone
Posted
  • Author

Nicole, I appreciate your reply and link to the report. I will check with my doctor if they can do DGP tests here.

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

Good luck!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Jmartes71
      - Jmartes71 replied to Jmartes71's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      3

      Related issues

      I had the test done by one of the specialist through second pcp I had only a few months because he was saying I wasn't.Even though Im positive HLA-DQ2 .My celiac is down played.I am with new pcp, seeing another girl doctor who wants to do another breathe test next month though Im positive sibo this year.I have high blood pressure not sure if its pain from...
    2. Scott Adams
      0

      Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cup Swirl Brownies

    3. Mari
      - Mari replied to Jmartes71's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      3

      Related issues

      Hi Jmartes, It sure is difficult to get useful advice from medical providers. Almost 20 years ago a Dr suggested that I might have Celiacs and I took a Celiac Panel blood test. No gluten challenge diet. On that test the tTG was in normal range but an alpha antibody was very high. I went online and read about celiac disease and saw how I could investigate...
    4. MogwaiStripe
      - MogwaiStripe replied to annamarie6655's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Airborne Gluten?

      I can't prove it, but I truly believe I have been glutened by airborne particles. I used to take care of shelter cats once per week at a pet store, and no matter how careful I was, I would get glutened each time even if I wore a mask and gloves and washed up well after I was done. I believe the problem was that because I'm short, I couldn't do the the tasks...
    5. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Midwestern's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      16

      Gluten Issues and Vitamin D

      Hello, @MogwaiStripe, Vitamin D is turned into its activated forms by Thiamine. Thiamine deficiency can affect Vitamin D activation. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14913223/ Thiamine deficiency affects HLA genes. HLA genes code for autoimmune diseases like Celiac, Thyroiditis, Diabetes, etc. Thiamine deficiency inside a cell triggers a...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,255
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    BeccaLynn
    Newest Member
    BeccaLynn
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Jmartes71
      Related issues

      By Jmartes71 · Posted

      I had the test done by one of the specialist through second pcp I had only a few months because he was saying I wasn't.Even though Im positive HLA-DQ2 .My celiac is down played.I am with new pcp, seeing another girl doctor who wants to do another breathe test next month though Im positive sibo this year.I have high blood pressure not sure if its pain from sciatica or sibo, ibs or hidden gluten. Im in disability limbo and I should have never been a bus driver because im still suffering and trying to heal with zero income except for my husband. This isnt fare that my health is dictating my living and having ti beg for being revalidation of my disregarded celiac disease. Its an emotional roller coaster I don't want to be on and the medical made it worse.New pcp new gi, exhausted, tired and really fed up. GI doctor NOT girl..
    • Mari
      Related issues

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Jmartes, It sure is difficult to get useful advice from medical providers. Almost 20 years  ago a Dr suggested that I might have Celiacs and I took a Celiac Panel blood test. No gluten challenge diet. On that test the tTG was in normal range but an alpha antibody was very high. I went online and read about celiac disease and saw how I could investigate this low tTG and still have celiac disease. Normal tTG can happen when a person had been reacting for many years. Another way is that the person has not been eating enough gluten to raise the antibody level. Another reason is that the tTG does not show up on a blood but may show up on a fecal test. Almost all Celiacs inherit at least one of the 2 main Celiac genes. I had genetic tests for the Celiac genes at Enterolab.com. I inherited one main Celiac gene from one parent and the report said that the DQ gene I inherited from my other parent, DQ6, could cause a person to have more problems or symptoms with that combination. One of my grandmother's had fairly typical symptoms of Celiacs but the other grandmother had severe food intolerances. I seem to show some problems inherited from both grandmothers. Human physiology is very complex and researchers are just beginning to understand how different body systems interact.  If you have taken an autosomal DNA test you can download your raw data file and upload it to Prometheuw.com for a small fee and search for Celiac Disease. If you don't find any Cekiac genes or information about Celiac disease  you may not have autoimmune gluten intolerance because more than 99% of Celiacs have one or both of these genes.  PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU WANT TO KNOW EHAT i HAVE DONE TO HELP WITH SYMPTOMS.  
    • MogwaiStripe
      Airborne Gluten?

      By MogwaiStripe · Posted

      I can't prove it, but I truly believe I have been glutened by airborne particles. I used to take care of shelter cats once per week at a pet store, and no matter how careful I was, I would get glutened each time even if I wore a mask and gloves and washed up well after I was done. I believe the problem was that because I'm short, I couldn't do the the tasks without getting my head and shoulders inside their cages, and so the particles from their food would be all over my hair and top of my shirt. Then I had to drive home, so even if I didn't get glutened right then, the particles would be in my car just waiting for me to get in the car so they could get blown into my face again. I gave up that volunteer gig and stopped getting glutened so often and at such regular intervals.
    • knitty kitty
      Gluten Issues and Vitamin D

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @MogwaiStripe, Vitamin D is turned into its activated forms by Thiamine.  Thiamine deficiency can affect Vitamin D activation. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14913223/ Thiamine deficiency affects HLA genes.  HLA genes code for autoimmune diseases like Celiac, Thyroiditis, Diabetes, etc.  Thiamine deficiency inside a cell triggers a toggle switch on the gene which in turn activates autoimmune diseases carried on the gene.  The reference to the study is in my blog somewhere.  Click on my name to go to my page, scroll down to the drop down menu "Activities" and click on blogs.  
    • knitty kitty
      Airborne Gluten?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Hello, @annamarie6655, Yes, there's many of us who react to airborne gluten!   Yes, animal feed, whether for chickens or cats or dogs, can release airborne gluten.  I can get glutened from the bakery section at the grocery store.   The nose and mouth drain into the digestive system and can trigger systemic reactions.   I find the histamine release in response to airborne gluten will stuff up my sinuses and bother my eyes.  High histamine levels do cause anxiety and migraines.  The muscle spasms can be caused by high histamine, too.  The digestive system may not manifest symptoms without a higher level of gluten exposure.   Our bodies make an enzyme, DAO (diamine oxidase), to break down histamine.   Pyridoxine B 6, Cobalamine B12, Vitamin C, copper, zinc, and iron are needed to make DAO.  DAO supplements are available over the counter.  Taking a B Complex supplement and additional Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine or TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) helps reduce the amount of histamine being released.  Mast cells without sufficient Thiamine have an itchy trigger finger and release histamine at the slightest provocation.  Thiamine helps mast cells refrain from releasing their histamine.    I find taking additional TTFD thiamine helps immensely with neurological symptoms as TTFD can easily cross the blood brain barrier without a carrier.  High histamine in the brain can cause the muscle spasms, anxiety and migraines.  Vitamin C really helps with clearing histamine, too.   The Digiorno pizza mystery reaction could have been caused by a reaction to the cheese.  Some people develop lactose intolerance.  Others react to Casein, the protein in dairy, the same as if to gluten because Casein resembles the molecular structure of gluten.  An enzyme used in some dairy products, microbial transglutaminase, causes a gluten reaction because it is the same as the tissue transglutaminase our bodies make except microbes make it.  Those tTg IgA blood tests to diagnose celiac disease measure tissue transglutaminase our bodies release as part of the autoimmune response to gluten.   You're doing great!  A Sherlock Holmes award to you for figuring out the connection between airborne gluten and animal feed!!!  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.