Help...what Do These Results Mean?

[Cin]

Hi,

I am new here, I do not have celiac symptoms....yet. I was tested because my mom, brother and his 2 children have been diagnosed with celiacs. I am wondering if someone could help me with these results. I as a rule do not eat bread or pasta or much with gluten as a personal preference for weight loss but 4 days prior to the testing I did eat bread (white) and macaroni-(incidentally I did have "gas" and bloating those days.)

I also fasted that morning for my cholesterol. I don't know if this makes a difference.

My doctor said the testing was inconclusive and it would not hurt me to eat gluten free but ya know.....if I want to eat bread, I want to eat bread lol. In other words I don't mind going gluten free if I have to but I kinda just want to know if I will be "damaging" myself if I go off.

Here are the results.

Gliadin Igg antibody 1.8 reference rang <25.0

Gliadin IGa antibody 43.5 reference range < 25

Endomysial ABS,S negative

What do you experts think??????

Thanks

Cindy

[Guest nini]

well first of all you didn't have the complete panel of tests for Celiac done, but what you did have does show one elevated number...

I've lost over 100 pounds in three years by being gluten free, if you have noticed that you lose weight on a low gluten diet, that sends up a red flag for me right there that you at the very least have a problem with gluten. With your mom and brother and his kids being Celiac, you also have a predisposition. If you notice gas and bloating with eating gluten, that too is a signal...

If indeed you do have Celiac, which I suspect you do, you will need to be 100% gluten free, no cheating ever, there are some decent gluten-free breads that can satisfy they need for that bread fix... Chebe bread is one and Kinnikinick has a ton of products, also Whole Foods Gluten Free bakehouse. Anyway.

In my opinion, positive dietary response is your best indicator of if you have this or not, so I would suggest trying the diet for a good 6 months and keeping a food log and noting any symptoms or cessation of symptoms. After that time period if you want to challenge the diet, you can, also keeping a log of any symptoms. You may find after six months, that you don't want to put gluten back in your system. There is also a learning curve with the diet and it may take you that long to figure out where a lot of the hidden glutens are hiding.

Since you say you are already on a low gluten diet, I think that would have messed with your blood test results, and if you were to have a biopsy, that too could be falsely negative.

So, listen to your body, try the diet and see if you notice a difference.

[Cin]

well first of all you didn't have the complete panel of tests for Celiac done, but what you did have does show one elevated number...

I've lost over 100 pounds in three years by being gluten free, if you have noticed that you lose weight on a low gluten diet, that sends up a red flag for me right there that you at the very least have a problem with gluten. With your mom and brother and his kids being Celiac, you also have a predisposition. If you notice gas and bloating with eating gluten, that too is a signal...

If indeed you do have Celiac, which I suspect you do, you will need to be 100% gluten free, no cheating ever, there are some decent gluten-free breads that can satisfy they need for that bread fix... Chebe bread is one and Kinnikinick has a ton of products, also Whole Foods Gluten Free bakehouse. Anyway.

In my opinion, positive dietary response is your best indicator of if you have this or not, so I would suggest trying the diet for a good 6 months and keeping a food log and noting any symptoms or cessation of symptoms. After that time period if you want to challenge the diet, you can, also keeping a log of any symptoms. You may find after six months, that you don't want to put gluten back in your system. There is also a learning curve with the diet and it may take you that long to figure out where a lot of the hidden glutens are hiding.

Since you say you are already on a low gluten diet, I think that would have messed with your blood test results, and if you were to have a biopsy, that too could be falsely negative.

So, listen to your body, try the diet and see if you notice a difference.

okay, you say I didnt have all the tests done......what are all the tests you recommend?

Do you recommend going to see a gastroenterologist as this was just my PCP?

Thanks for the input.....

Cindy

[Guest nini]

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgA

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgG

Anti-Endomysial (EMA) IgA

Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA

Total Serum IgA

This is the complete panel...

Do I recommend going to a GI? No. I think that the dietary response is the most valid diagnostic tool and you do not need a Dr. for that. What can a GI do for you? Well, they COULD run the full panel of tests and do a biopsy and IF they are positive they could confirm the dx of Celiac, But, since so many Dr.s know so very little about Celiac and are reluctant to dx it if results are borderline or only showing early signs of damage. Very few Dr.s are willing to dx. celiac based on they believe that the ONLY way to dx this is by biopsy. Problem with this is that in early stages damage can be very sporadic and easily missed by biopsy. And they do not take near enough samples most of the time for a valid test.

Some people feel more comfortable getting a Dr. dx. but you have to keep in mind that Dr.s are human, they are usually under pressure by Pharmaceutical companies to prescribe drugs (even getting kickbacks) and are under pressure by Insurance companies to keep visits short so they can see more patients so you don't get quality of care. I've lost faith in the medical community and I think we need to get back to listening to our bodies. And if our bodies tell us that gluten is a problem, by all means, eliminated it from your diet. Don't just take drugs to treat the symptoms. This will only make it worse.

Did I have a Dr. dx.? Yes, but it was only confirmation of what I already knew in my heart. I had tried the gluten-free diet before and it had worked, but I had let another Dr. talk me out of it because he said it was all in my head. If I had listened to my body the first time, I could have saved myself from 4 more years of ill health. By the time I got my dx. my blood work was so highly positive that I did not need the biopsy to confirm the dx.

[Guest Robbin]

I am pretty new at this--nini is an expert--but I would add that even if you didn't have any gastro symptoms, you could be getting neurological damage, and THAT is something to take extremely serious. If you want to get easier answers, aside fromthe diet, I suggest maybe trying enterolab. Even just getting the gene test, at the least. I am awaiting my results in a week or so and it couldn't have been easier. Far easier than putting up with the run-around at the drs. You don't have to listen to a so-called-expert to know what YOUR body already tells you, though. Take care.

[ladyx]

Hi,

I am new here, I do not have celiac symptoms....yet. I was tested because my mom, brother and his 2 children have been diagnosed with celiacs. I am wondering if someone could help me with these results. I as a rule do not eat bread or pasta or much with gluten as a personal preference for weight loss but 4 days prior to the testing I did eat bread (white) and macaroni-(incidentally I did have "gas" and bloating those days.)

I also fasted that morning for my cholesterol. I don't know if this makes a difference.

My doctor said the testing was inconclusive and it would not hurt me to eat gluten free but ya know.....if I want to eat bread, I want to eat bread lol. In other words I don't mind going gluten free if I have to but I kinda just want to know if I will be "damaging" myself if I go off.

Here are the results.

Gliadin Igg antibody 1.8 reference rang <25.0

Gliadin IGa antibody 43.5 reference range < 25

Endomysial ABS,S negative

What do you experts think??????

Thanks

Cindy

Not an expert but I would want to know for sure too. wouldn't want to give up bread if I didn't have to. It's all about finding the right doctor...I had seen several GI's and all my kids had seen one since they were little and we weren't diagnosed...when my son went to see his new pediatric GI people called him the celiac doctor...they said if you had it he would find it. So ask around find people that have celiac diease and ask if they know a good doctor who will work hard to find out for sure... I am not sure you can be 100% sure but get a full test done by a good lab. Call your local GI's and ask if they have support groups for celiac paitents and then ask if you could find out when they met so you can go...you might find some good stories to help you. Hope this helps!