Jump to content
  • 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):

"Weak positive" tTG IgA?


Augustina

Recommended Posts

Augustina Newbie

Hello,

My doctor sent in a celiac blood panel for me, due to some symptoms of autoimmunity:

alopecia areata (one incident)

"mild" constipation

fatigue

pigmented purpura (purple spots of burst blood vessels)

general hair loss

reactions to supplements that boost immunity

red hands and feet

I also have hypothyroidism, but tested negative for Hashimoto's. 

 

My blood test just came pack with the following:

Immunoglobulin A, Qn, Serum: 257 (normal)

(tTG) IgA : <2 (weak positive, ref range 0-3) 

Endomysial Antibody IgA: Negative (no reference range)

 

They have a positive test for tTG being from 4-10. What does weak positive mean? And what is the last result that I'm negative for?

This test was conducted through a nurse practitioner at a gynecology office, so I'm unsure of her knowledge on the subject. 

I don't have the classic symptoms of celiac like diahrrea and stomach pain. I've tried cutting out gluten in the past, and felt no difference in how I feel or energy.

I might not eat as much gluten as some though- I don't eat processed foods, everything I eat is homemade. Somedays I don't have any gluten at all, but on average I would say I eat the equivalent of two pieces of bread  day, and sometimes pasta. I made sure to eat a serving of gluten everyday for the two weeks before my blood panel.

Is a weak positive any cause for concern, especially with the negative result at the end there?

 

I'd appreciate any help!!!


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



GFinDC Veteran

Hi,

The University of Chicago celiac center recommends 12 weeks of eating gluten daily before the blood tests are done.  Two weeks of eating gluten is recommended before the endoscopy.  That time period is called a gluten challenge.

A weak positive is just that.  But if you weren't eating gluten regularly for 12 weeks it may have been a lower result than it could have been.  There other blood antibody tests they can do that may show a positive result.  They are the DGP IgA and DGP IgG.  Some people only test positive on one type of antibody but not on others.

 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      134,076
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      10,442

    Murielle Beaulieu
    Newest Member
    Murielle Beaulieu
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.7k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      There is a 10 year old post in this forum on Edy's and Dreyer's ice cream. The information is somewhat outdated and the thread is closed to further comment, so here is a new one. Edy's And Dreyer's Grand Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - 1.5 Quart is labeled "Gluten Free". This is a different answer than years gone by. I don't know the answer for any other flavor at this moment. On 1 May, 2026, Edy's website says: "As a general rule, the gluten in Edy's and Dreyer's® frozen dessert products is present only in the added bakery products, such as cookies, cake or brownies. We always label the eight major food allergens on our package by their common name. We recommend to always check the label for the most current information before purchasing and/or consuming a product. The exception to this rule is our Slow Churned French Silk frozen dairy dessert, which contains gluten in the natural flavors." https://www.icecream.com/us/en/brands/edys-and-dreyers/faq It seems that Edy's and Dreyer's are more celiac-friendly than they were 10 years ago. Once I found enough information to make today's buying decision, I stopped researching.
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      probably not your situation @Mimiof2, but allow me to add one more to @trents list of celiac-mimics: "olmesartan-induced sprue-like enteropathy"  
    • knitty kitty
      My dad had an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.  Fortunately, it was discovered during an exam.  The doctor could feel my dad's heart beating in his stomach/abdomen.  The aneurysm burst when the doctor first touched it in surgery.  Since he was already hooked up to the bypass machine, my dad survived ten more years.  Close call! Triple A's can press on the nerves in the spinal cord causing leg pain.  I'm wondering if bowing the head might have increased the pressure on an aneurysm and then the nerves.   https://gulfcoastsurgeons.com/understanding-abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-symptoms-and-causes/ Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Presenting as a Claudication https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4040638/
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      You have an odd story there. To me, the mechanical trigger suggests a mechanical problem and lower leg pain is a classic sciatica symptom. The fact that the clear mechanical linkage is no longer there does not take away from the fact that it was - maybe something shifted and the simple alignment is no longer there. There's also a good chance I am wrong and it's something else entirely. @Scott Adams's mention of shingles is interesting. It seems possible but unlikely to me, but who knows. However, I am writing here to reinforce the idea of getting the shingles vaccine. Ask anyone who has ever had shingles and they will bend your ear telling you how bad it is. I watched my wife go through it and it scared the bejeebers out of me. Even if you had the chicken pox vaccine, you really want to get the shingles vaccine.
    • HectorConvector
      Oddly this effect has gone now, just happened yesterday evening, the nerve pain is now back to its usual "unpredictable" random self again - but that was the only time I ever had some mechanical trigger for it, don't know why! There's no (or wasn't) actual pain in my neck - it was inside the leg, but when I looked down, now though, the leg pain just comes and goes randomly as before again.
×
×
  • Create New...