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

Question about genetic vs blood results

calliope

Recommended Posts

calliope Newbie
calliope
Posted

Hey all,

After years of dealing with IBS, panic attacks, and acid reflux, a doctor finally thought to test me for Celiac Disease. I got my test results back today, but my next appointment isn't for another two weeks. I'm hoping someone here might be able to help me interpret the results!

For the HLA typing, my results were:
 

Quote

 

HLA DQ2 - Positive

HLA DQ8 - Negative

HLA DQA1* - 05

HLA DQB1* - 0201

HLA DQB1 - 0301

HLA variants detected: HLA DQA1* - 03

Interpretation: The patient has one of the HLA-DQ variants associated with celiac disease.

 

The blood results were:

Quote

Immunoglobulin A  - 260 (Range: 81-463)

Tissue Transglutaminase AB, IGA - 1 (Range: <4)

Interpretation: No serological evidence of disease.

I usually eat a *lot* of gluten, so theoretically if I had Celiac, antibodies should have shown up in the blood work. I know that the blood test is very accurate and that the gene test only shows a predisposition, but is it possible for me to be positive with these results?

I'm going to start a gluten-free diet regardless, because if it helps me feel less terrible all the time I'm all for it regardless of the cause, but I'm curious to get more insight into what the tests mean.

Thank you!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


SLLRunner Enthusiast
SLLRunner
Posted

Calliope,

Welcome! 

Since your doctor suspects you have celiac disease, the next step is an endoscope. Please do not stop eating gluten until all testing is complete, or the results will most likely be inaccurate. 

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted
25 minutes ago, calliope said:

Hey all,

After years of dealing with IBS, panic attacks, and acid reflux, a doctor finally thought to test me for Celiac Disease. I got my test results back today, but my next appointment isn't for another two weeks. I'm hoping someone here might be able to help me interpret the results!

For the HLA typing, my results were:
 

The blood results were:

I usually eat a *lot* of gluten, so theoretically if I had Celiac, antibodies should have shown up in the blood work. I know that the blood test is very accurate and that the gene test only shows a predisposition, but is it possible for me to be positive with these results?

I'm going to start a gluten-free diet regardless, because if it helps me feel less terrible all the time I'm all for it regardless of the cause, but I'm curious to get more insight into what the tests mean.

Thank you!

Well the results seem to be negative.  Your doctor spent money to see if you have the genes, but that test is used to rule out celiac disease.  It did not rule it out!  Some 40% of the population has the genes but only a tiny fraction go on to develop it.  But do you have it?  Your doctor should have spent the extra money on a full celiac antibodies panel.  You would have had a better chance of catching a positive.  The TTg is pretty accurate.  For the past decade, experts have recommended this test for screening because it catches most but not all.  Even theUniversity of Chicago recommended just the TTG test.  Now they have changed their minds.  Here is the list is tests they now recommend:

Open Original Shared Link

I have celiac disease (blood and biopsy confirmed) and my TTG results are always negative even in follow-up testing.  If my celiac-savvy GI did not run the entire panel, my diagnosis would have been missed.

You can go gluten-free, but it is HARD!  You would need to stay the course for at least six months.  It can be done.  But I would ask for the full panel before I would embark on the diet.  

Take care!  

calliope Newbie
calliope
Posted
  • Author

Thanks! It clarifies things somewhat that the genetic test is used to rule out Celiac, rather than confirm it. And it's good to know there are more tests available.

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,546
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    KimberlyAnne76
    Newest Member
    KimberlyAnne76
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Allergy medication: cetirizine by the HealthA2Z is it gluten free?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      Protein or fat?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      Diagnosed celiac for 1-2 months ago and everything makes me bloated.

      By Beverage · Posted

      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
    • Jsingh
      Protein or fat?

      By Jsingh · Posted

      Hi,  I care for my seven year old daughter with Celiac. After watching her for months, I have figured out that she has problem with two kinds of fats- animal fat and cooking oils. It basically makes her intestine sore enough that she feels spasms when she is upset. It only happens on days when she has eaten more fat than her usual every day diet. (Her usual diet has chia seeds, flaxseeds, and avocado/ pumpkin seeds for fat and an occasional chicken breast.) I stopped using cooking oils last year, and when I reintroduced eggs and dairy, both of which I had held off for a few months thinking it was an issue of the protein like some Celiac patients habe mentioned to be the case, she has reacted in the same fashion as she does with excess fats. So now I wonder if her reaction to dairy and eggs is not really because of protein but fat.   I don't really have a question, just wondering if anyone finds this familiar and if it gets better with time.  Thank you. 
    • Chanda Richard
      High Cost of Gluten-Free Foods

      By Chanda Richard · Posted

      Hello, My name is Chanda and you are not the only one that gose through the same things. I have found that what's easiest for me is finding a few meals each week that last. I have such severe reactions to gluten that it shuts my entire body down. I struggle everyday with i can't eat enough it feels like, when I eat more I lose more weight. Make sure that you look at medication, vitamins and shampoo and conditioner also. They have different things that are less expensive at Walmart. 
×
×
  • 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.