Gliadin/transglutaminase Testing Significance

[mmontequ]

Hi all,

 

Last week I underwent extensive blood, urine, and skin testing for psychiatric purposes. I had previously been diagnosed by a psychologist with depression (dysthymia), generalized anxiety disorder, and ADHD inattentive type. When I saw a psychiatrist, he suggested that my illness may be due to food reaction. Today I got back my test results, some of which pertain to gluten intolerance.

 

Gliadin (deamidated) IGA: 7 units

<20 antibody not detected

 

Gliadin (deamidated) IGG: 3 units

<20 antibody not detected

 

Transglutaminase IGG: 3 U/ml

<6 no antibody detected

 

Transglutaminase IGG: 1 U/ml

<4 no antibody detected

 

(To me it seems if the antibody is not detected, then gluten intolerance/sensitivity shouldn't necessarily be the issue. Am I correct, or do I have it the other way around?)

 

I was also administered injections of diluted (not concentrated, not sure if that matters) gluten and wheat that produced no symptoms or immediate reaction, but gave a very mild delayed reaction after 24 hours. Milk and corn, by contrast, produced more noticeable reactions.

 

Still, the psychiatrist recommended immediately cutting all gluten out of my diet (along with dairy and corn, among some other dietary changes). I plan on taking his suggestion, but I have never had any of the common symptoms of gluten intolerance/sensitivity in the past to my knowledge. I am 22 years old.

 

Not asking for medical advice but possibly some anecdotal comparisons: do my gliadin and transglutaminase results seem to significantly suggest gluten intolerance/sensitivity? Other posters in this forum have used more stringent reference ranges, but even then, my results seem low. Even though this diagnosis is coming from a medical professional with much greater expertise on the matter than I have, it seems to rely on a reading of my results as >0 automatically equating to gluten intolerance/sensitivity. I study statistics, so I'm skeptical of using rejection ranges that liberally. Curious what you all think.

 

Thanks,

 

Matt

[cyclinglady]

I am not a doctor, but your tests results indicate that you do NOT have celiac disease. There is no test for a gluten sensitivity or Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance. But.....did your doctor order an IGA deficiency test? If you are IGA deficient, the celiac IGA tests will be invalid. The celiac panel usually catches most celiacs, but it is not infallible. I tested positive to just the DGP IGA and the rest were negative yet my biopsies revealed a Marsh Stage IIIB.

Usually eliminating foods you suspect are causing symptoms as a test can help determine if you do have a sensitivity. It can not hurt! Be sure to keep a journal of your diet and any reactions.

Ask about IGA test just to be sure.

I wish you well!

[mmontequ]

Not both of those transglutaminase tests were supposed to be IGG, the latter one should be IGA. (Not sure if that's the IGA test you refer to, but it was a typo on my part.) He said nothing about IGA deficiency.

 

I'm going to try cutting gluten out of my diet, but since the "symptoms" are entirely behavioral rather than physical (never had any stomach pain, skin rash, anemia, etc) it will be more difficult for me to discern if cutting gluten out is causing a change. I just feel like using trace units of gliadin as a basis to recommend the absolute avoidance of gluten seems like it could be a bit faulty.

 

Thanks for the feedback!

[squirmingitch]

Just to make you aware of the symptoms of celiac disease here is a link to the list -- it is LONG. You see, there is more to celiac disease than stomach pain, skin rash & anemia. In fact half of all diagnosed celiacs did NOT present with any GI issues. Don't feel bad that you did not know that because most doctors don't seem to be aware of it & that's why there are so many undiagnosed celiacs running around. 1 in 120 people is celiac yet 85% are undiagnosed & it's because there is this prevalent thinking that it's all about GI issues.

Open Original Shared Link

Also I will mention that there is such a thing as silent celiac where the patient has NO symptoms at all. It doesn't happen all that often but it does happen.

[RMJ]

Different labs use tests made by different manufacturers with different reference ranges. The units are arbitrary and different from lab to lab, they are not standardized units like milligrams. You should use the reference ranges that came with your results.

[cyclinglady]

Okay, you made a typo, but I was not clear either. In any case, it appears that you tested negative for celiac disease. It was good that your doctor requested both sets of the TTg and DGP tests.

It might be worth it to pursue your doctor's advice. It certainly won't harm you!

My husband went gluten free per the advice of my allergist and his GP (wished now that he had gotten tested for celiac disease) and the first thing we noticed was a lack of snoring. You can not imagine how delighted I was! He snores whenever he gets glutened. It is one of his first symptoms.

I wish you well!