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Suspecting Celiac Disease

KLH36

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KLH36 Newbie
KLH36
Posted

I am 36 yes old and I have severe stomach problems, daily headaches, some mild joint pain,and what I think is psoriasis on my head and nose. My aunt has been tested and has Celiac's. I have diarrhea almost daily, bloating, horrible painful gas, nausea,and heartburn. Also, every few months I have severe abdominal pain lasting about an hr but I am curled in a ball for that hr. I take a lot of pepto. My headaches have been diagnosed as migraines but meds don't help. I have a history of anxiety and depression and right now I'm dealing w some slight memory loss or maybe just brain fog. How much is testing? I'm miserable most days but I'm not letting it affect my life. In need of advice.

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KLH36 Newbie
KLH36
Posted
  • Author

I have also had an elevated platelet count for the past year and a half.

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

I'm afraid I have no idea what testing costs, but I can tell you which tests to look into, which I really think you should - your symptoms are the same as mine were.  :(

 

Make sure you are eating gluten (1-2 slices of bread per day) in the 8-12 weeks prior to blood tests, and 4-8 weeks prior to the biopsy.

 

The tests:

  • tTG IgA and tTG IgG (tissue transglutaminase) - most common tests
  • DGP IgA and DGP IgG (deaminated gliadin peptides) - newer test, good at detecting early celiac disease
  • EMA IgA (endomysial antibody) - similar to the tTG IgA but tends to detect more advanced disease
  • total serum IgA (a control test)
  • AGA IgA and AGA IgG (anti-gliadin antibodies) - older and less reliable tests largely replaced by the DGP tests
  • endoscopic biopsy (6+ samples taken)
  • skin biopsy - if there is a dermatitis herpetiformis rash - taken from beside an active rash
  • DQ2 and or DQ8 genetic tests - these won't tell you if you have celiac disease, but will let you know if you are in the higher risk portion of the population

Good luck!

KLH36 Newbie
KLH36
Posted
  • Author

Thank you so much for the information. I suppose I should start eating bread more often for awhile.

nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

If you can stomach it, it will help make the tests more reliable.  Those blood tests can miss up to a quarter of all celiacs (the old AGA tests miss even more) so it is wise to make sure you are not gluten light before the test.  Good luck.

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