Tissue Transglutaminase Ab IgA Retesting

[Svelte]

About 8 months ago I was tested for Tissue Transglutaminase Ab IgA and scored over 250.  I still have been having problems so I asked to be retested yesterday and scored 22.3, which is still higher than the 12 that they compared too check if you have celiac disease.  Does this mean gluten is likely still getting into my diet?  I think I've been very thorough removing gluten, checking things like lip balm and others.  I've basically been following Dr. Gundry's Plant paradox diet, with no lectins, no sugar and no antibiotics.  The food I don't make myself is things like Dark Chocolate and a few sauces like a gluten free ranch dressing I'm using, so I was a bit surprised to find out I was still over range on this test.  The only other place I can be getting gluten is from medications like Tylenol.  Does anyone have any experience with retesting results?  Maybe it just takes a long time for the scores to go down?  My diet is already very restricted, so I'm reluctant to reduce it even more if my score doesn't likely mean I am still getting gluten in my diet somehow.

[AngieDoPa]

18 minutes ago, Svelte said:

About 8 months ago I was tested for Tissue Transglutaminase Ab IgA and scored over 250.  I still have been having problems so I asked to be retested yesterday and scored 22.3, which is still higher than the 12 that they compared too check if you have celiac disease.  Does this mean gluten is likely still getting into my diet?  I think I've been very thorough removing gluten, checking things like lip balm and others.  I've basically been following Dr. Gundry's Plant paradox diet, with no lectins, no sugar and no antibiotics.  The food I don't make myself is things like Dark Chocolate and a few sauces like a gluten free ranch dressing I'm using, so I was a bit surprised to find out I was still over range on this test.  The only other place I can be getting gluten is from medications like Tylenol.  Does anyone have any experience with retesting results?  Maybe it just takes a long time for the scores to go down?  My diet is already very restricted, so I'm reluctant to reduce it even more if my score doesn't likely mean I am still getting gluten in my diet somehow.

It took a full year for my number to lower into the normal range. 

[cyclinglady]

It can take a year or longer for antibodies to normalize.  So, it sounds like you are on the right track.  Remember, the antibodies testing was designed to help diagnose celiac disease.  It was never meant to check for dietary compliance.  However, it is the only non-evasive “tool-in-the-toolbox”, so doctors use it.  

[Svelte]

OK thanks a lot.  I was a bit worried.  They recommend that they should be rechecked once in the first 3-6 months and then after a year and yearly after that, so I was concerned that maybe they were supposed to go to normal after 3-6 months. 

[cyclinglady]

Doctors are just looking for a downward trend at the 3 to 6 month mark.  I can tell you that my DGP IgA was very elevated when I had a repeat endoscopy/biopsies that revealed healthy villi.  My GI was as perplexed as me.  So, use it a just one tool.  Look at other health markers (e.g. in my case, hemoglobin) or vitamin/mineral deficiencies or how you feel  to help you determine your healing.