Possibility Of Celiac Disease?

[zs1994]

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum. I have a diabetic sister who was also diagnosed with celiac a year ago. For the past week or so I've had an upset stomach without fever. Symptoms are:

- lack of appetite and weight loss

- stomach gas, burping & flatulence

- loose stools, sometimes diaherrea

- bloating after eating and stomach noises

Went to the doctor and he said it's most likely a stomach virus or bug but he's ordered a blood test for celiac screening because my sister has it.

I wanted to ask what the likelihood is of me having celiac? I know only the testing will confirm but do my symptoms hint of it and can symptoms come on all of a sudden? I'm 21 and usually healthy. Thanks all!

[cyclinglady]

Welcome! Read this link from the University of Chicago. It is good to be tested every few years (even without symptoms) or as symptoms develop.

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[zs1994]

Welcome! Read this link from the University of Chicago. It is good to be tested every few years (even without symptoms) or as symptoms develop.

Open Original Shared Link

Hi thank you for the quick reply, i understand it makes sense for me to be tested. Is the blood test usually accurate?

[cyclinglady]

Well, it is not perfect, but what is? You should get copies of your sister's results and at least make sure you are getting the same tests. For example, my doctor ran the entire panel and I only tested positive on one (DGP IGA) and negative on the rest yet biopsies revealed a Marsh Stage IIIB (mod to severe intestinal damage). So, my kid gets the complete panel and not just the TTg and IGA deficiency celiac screening tests (cheapest/basic and in all fairness catches 95% of celiacs) because of my tests. I am getting the rest of my family tested again since they all got the basic screening.

You might test negative like my kid, but you will need to get tested every few years. That is the standard procedure when you have a first-degree relative with celiac disease.

Good to keep on top of your health! My goal is to prevent my kid and younger relatives from doing severe damage to their bodies and suffering needlessly!

Always keep records of your lab tests in case you change doctors or need to share with other family members in order to get them tested.

[zs1994]

Wow, thats an extremely informative post, thank you very much. I'll make a note of comparing my results and test paremeters with my sister's data. As for now, I guess it's nothing other than a really anxious wait!

[cyclinglady]

Here are the tests for celiac disease:

-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA and (tTG) IgG

-Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) IgA and (DGP) IgG

-EMA IgA

-total serum IgA and IgG (control test)

-AGA IGA and AGA IgG - older and less reliable tests largely replace by the DGP tests

-endoscopic biopsy - make sure at least 6 samples are taken

(Source: NVSMOM -- )

[zs1994]

Here are the tests for celiac disease:

-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA and (tTG) IgG

-Deamidated Gliadin Peptide (DGP) IgA and (DGP) IgG

-EMA IgA

-total serum IgA and IgG (control test)

-AGA IGA and AGA IgG - older and less reliable tests largely replace by the DGP tests

-endoscopic biopsy - make sure at least 6 samples are taken

(Source: NVSMOM -- )

Many thanks again, i'm from the UK by the way, i don't think they perform that many tests. From what I've read the main test performed here is Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA and (tTG) IgG.

[zs1994]

It's been almost 2 weeks since my symptoms began. I'm convinced i'm a Celiac! Don't really have any abdominal pain and my gas and bloating has reduced but my loose stools haven't stopped. Most of the time they are loose and a few times actual diaherrea. But the main thing is they always float. Sorry about the detailed info! Can anyone relate to this?

[ravenwoodglass]

Since this is still going on an appointment with your doctor would be a good idea. You need to be screened for celiac anyway with a sister that has it and it would also be a good idea for your doctor to test your stool for food poisoning or a bacterial infection.

[gilligan]

Before I was diagnosed, I had the very same symptoms at you.  They just cropped up out of the blue and wouldn't go away.  I was sure I was just run down and tired after a trying summer and start to the school year. After about 4 months (and Christmas break - I teach), I went to my gp who sent me to a g.i.  Yep, celiac!

[squirmingitch]

And don't stop eating a full gluten diet until ALL testing is completed otherwise it invalidates the tests.

[binkman]

Hi zs1994,

I had the same symptoms as you before my diagnosis. I'd been having them more and more frequently in the weeks leading up to my diagnosis but looking back now I can see that I'd been developing them on and off for a few months. They got really bad, and I started to get headaches and nerve pain in my feet, but I started to recover almost immediately after going gluten free. It takes some people a bit longer, but you have every reason to be optimistic. Good luck!

[csa2015]

My wife has Celiac and the blood test was negative but after giving her history to a infectious disease specialist, she was diagnosed with Celiac. She went on a gluten-free diet despite the test and was back to normal in a week. Then she was accidentally contaminated and discovered the cause after getting sick again. Then later she did a gluten challenge test and was very sick about 5 hours after eating the gluten. Usually the tests are pretty accurate but not always.

[Victor10]

Same thing happened to me, like exact. I'm also sure I have celiac. Thinking about it and my past with stomach issues makes sense now. Going to the doctor this Tues to get some tests done.

[zs1994]

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated. As easy as it is to worry that you may have Celiac, there are a few conditions out there that mimic Celiac symptoms, namely Giardia or related parasite/viral infections which can last a few weeks or even IBS. If my sister was not a Celiac, I wouldn't have got myself tested.

[zs1994]

Hi all

My doctor called me and said my blood test came back perfectly normal. My symptoms have all but gone and my stools have returned to normal too. Still have a little gas now and then but the one problem that remains is that I've lost my appetite or hunger I should say. Does this warrant a trip back to the doctor? I aim to get my blood test results printed out too.