Anti-gliadin Numbers...

[Guest Leidenschaft]

Hi all... part of my yearly routine is blood work monitoring my anti-gliadin numbers... the doctor just phoned me and told me that my number this year is 10 points higher than last!

Normal is (apparently) 25, last year I was 26 but this year I am 36! I do NOT intentionally ingest gluten and know when I've done it by accident. She suggests that I'm not managing my diet as well as before, but I don't feel like I take any more chances or that I'm exposed to gluten more frequently than the previous year!

Anyway, is it possible that the numbers fluctuate and are influenced by gluten ingested in the few days before the bloodwork? Or does this number really represent my overall state of being gluten-free?

Last question, would it be beneficial for me to have the bloodwork done more often than once per year?

Thanks in advance for any input!

Tammy

[Guest Leidenschaft]

Nobody has any input on this???

Bumping it up before it's lost all togehter!

[Guest Viola]

I think that's an interesting question. Perhaps being contaminated on the day of the test does push it up. Are you going to try and run the test again ... say in a month or so?

I think I'll ask for a full panel when I go in next month and see what mine are.

Has anyone else found there results higher after going gluten free? It would be really interesting to know if a contamination can push the numbers up so high.

[tiredofdoctors]

I know that mine have fluctuated. I started at either 34 or 36, then went down to 24, then went up to 60. I'm going to be tested in March because it will be 6 months that I have been gluten-free. If it's still at 60, I'm going to be really frustrated, because I have been more compliant with this diet than I have been compliant with ANY medical treatment throughout my life. I did read, in some article somewhere (I have become addicted to Medline) that your body can actually increase your antigliadin levels despite adherence to a gluten-free diet. (Again, don't know where I read that, so I can't tell you for sure that it's a valid study). Funny, though, I never looked to see what "normal" was. No wonder my neuro said that my first test was "high", but my last one was "EXTREMELY high" If I find that article, or talk to anyone who knows, I'll let you know . . . Lynne

[Guest Viola]

Lynne ...Maybe the last couple of days before you get tested, go right back to 'fresh only' foods and see what happens.

I suspect that maybe if on the day, or the day before testing, you are contaminated somehow, it might push the numbers up. So ... If you eat only what cannot be cross-contaminated, and be super careful about what a 'gluten' person touches "for instance the telephone while eating a sandwich" etc. My theary is that they should be lower numbers.

At least that would explain why they would be high if you are pretty careful of your diet.

[tiredofdoctors]

Thanks Shirley -- I didn't even think of that! My husband is pretty much gluten-free, too -- we don't have very much gluten-containing food in the house anymore -- BUT -- he gets subs, etc. at work, and grazes on them during the day. I'll bet that's EXACTLY what happened! You are so smart . . . .Lynne

[Guest Viola]

I'm not too sure about being so Smart, I just know that Tammy is very strict with her diet and that's the only thing that I could think of that would push the numbers that high. She can't remember if she was contaminated that day, or the day before though.

Tam, I think you should go and run another test as well, this time stick really close to the absolute basics and see if it makes a difference. It would certainly prove that even tiny amounts of contamination does big damage, if that's the case.