Is weak positive a positive?

[JJav123412]

2 questions:

My husband tested a weak positive for celiac, however his biopsy was negative.  He can eat gluten and has no issues.  He does say he sees a little blood in his stools. Does a weak positive mean he has celiac? (FYI, his mother has celiac).

My daughter, 7, has an Iga deficiency (19).  The GI dr, at age 1, said she was positive for celiac but her biopsy was negative.  We did nothing at that point and continued with her regular diet.  I had additional testing done on her recently and she was positive for DQB1 02 but her ttg Iga & ttg Igg were negative.  She doesn't complain of abdominal pain when she eats gluten but I have noticed that she has cut back on eating certain foods (pasta, pretzels, etc) all things that she liked before.  I don't want to do another endoscopy on her but I wonder everyday if she could have it?

[GFinDC]

2 hours ago, JJav123412 said:

2 questions:

My husband tested a weak positive for celiac, however his biopsy was negative.  He can eat gluten and has no issues.  He does say he sees a little blood in his stools. Does a weak positive mean he has celiac? (FYI, his mother has celiac).

My daughter, 7, has an Iga deficiency (19).  The GI dr, at age 1, said she was positive for celiac but her biopsy was negative.  We did nothing at that point and continued with her regular diet.  I had additional testing done on her recently and she was positive for DQB1 02 but her ttg Iga & ttg Igg were negative.  She doesn't complain of abdominal pain when she eats gluten but I have noticed that she has cut back on eating certain foods (pasta, pretzels, etc) all things that she liked before.  I don't want to do another endoscopy on her but I wonder everyday if she could have it?

Hi,  and welcome to the forum!

Ok, I'd call blood in the stool an issue.  It's not there for no reason!  Some people with celiac disease have no obvious GI system symptoms.  That is called silent celiac.  But they still have damage to their guts.  That may be what your husband has now.   But bleeding is an indication damage is going on.  He could get an endoscopy and find out for sure.  He does need to continue to eat gluten until the celiac testing is done though.

Since celiac disease has a gene relation, it is certainly possible your daughter has it.  Testing for celiac disease is not a perfect thing yet, so sometimes the person has to eliminate gluten to see if their symptoms go away.  If all testing is negative but symptoms persist, that is the thing to do.

One of the side affects of gut damage is malabsorption of nutrients (vitamins. minerals, fats).  So person can be tired, or have slow healing or growth, or be low on some vitamins.  Your daughter could be tested for vitamin deficiencies.  IF she has deficiencies, that would tell you if she is either malabsorbnig due to gut damage, or she isn't eating a very  good diet at all.  I doubt the 2nd reason is true.

 

 

 

 

[cyclinglady]

Your daughter might be IgA deficient, but it should be enough to validate any celiac IgA tests like the TTG IgA.  I would ask your doctor for the rest of the celiac panel.   She carries the gene, but so does 30% of the population.  ONly a few go on to actually develop celiac disease which can happen at any age!  Ask for the EMA and the DGP tests.  Why?  The TTG is preferred by most doctors, but smaller kids often test better using the DGP.  Some adults, like me, never have had a positive on the TTG.  The DGP test works for me.  

As far as your hubby goes, I had a weak positive, yet I had moderate to severe intestinal damage.  I ate gluten and it never bothered me.    Symptoms vary (or no symptoms) from person to person.  Heck, my symptoms vary now after a glutening.  Nothing is consistent with celiac disease!   Maybe he does not have celiac disease.  Maybe he does.  Maybe he has another autoimmune disorder like Crohn's or Ulcerative colitis.  AI issues run in families.  Mine is riddled with them!  He should get checked out.  

Hope this helps!  

 

 

[JJav123412]

So I had my husband repeat the blood work (initially it was done in 2011),  Here are his test results.  I am waiting for the full report with the ranges and EMA results - I was hoping someone might be able to shed some light?  All we were told are is ttg levels are elevated and see a GI dr.

CELIAC PANEL		2017-04-15
IMMUNOGLOBULIN A	246
GLIADIN IgG	16
GLIADIN IgA	6
TTG IGA	7
TTG IGG	28

[cyclinglady]

Lab ranges can vary.  Can you provide those?  

[JJav123412]

I just picked up the report. They did not do the EMA.  The ranges for all tests above (with exception of total iga) are  <20.  The only elevation is the ttg igg. Is this blood test, along with his mother having the disease, enough to diagnose? He does not want another endoscopy. 

[cyclinglady]

This is tricky.  A mild positive on the TTG IgG?...... but it is positive.  The next step would be to have an endoscopy taking plenty of biopsies, but since he already had it done (recently ??), perhaps trialing the gluten-free diet might be in order.  He may have Non-celiac gluten Intolerance or the start of celiac disease.  He should continue to get tested every few years since his Mom has celiac disease.    Of course, you should discuss it with his doctor.  

[JJav123412]

He had an endoscopy back in 2011.  It was negative.  He doesn't want to repeat the endoscopy.  I will have him see GI to see what they say.  They may want additional testing & /or genetic testing.  He doesn't have GI symptoms but he has random tingling in his hands.  Could be unrelated but I remember reading that could be a symptom. I wish testing was like a pregnancy test - positive or negative!

[cyclinglady]

He obviously does know that celiac disease can develop at anytime.  Only he can decide if he wants to remain on a gluten diet and continue to get testing or go gluten free to see if his symptoms improve.  

My hubby went Gluten Free per the rather poor advice (should have ruled out celiac disease first) of his GP and my allergist.  Funny thing is that it worked!  No way he would do a gluten challenge (we like to pay our bills).  He has been gluten-free for 16 years!  He will tell you that my diagnosis has made it easier for me in terms of medical, family and friends support.  celiac disease or NCGI, we know gluten makes him sick!  

We have tested our kid and she is fine....for now.  She will continue to get tested (she is kind of gluten light for now) for the rest of her life.