Help with Test Results

[DaisyK]

Hello, I'm 45 years old and have eaten gluten my whole life. However, after my tests results below I'm worried that I may have a gluten sensitivity. Here's my story, on on the night of December 13th I felt a odd sharp pain on the right side of my upper abdomen. I dismissed it as muscle pain but when awoke the next morning I felt very off. I felt nauseated, had a low grade fever, and a lot of pain on the right side of my abdomen. The fever went away after a day but the pain did not. Everyday since then I have on and off pains on my right side, back, and upper abdomen. Also, just a general sensation of not feeling well. My doctor has done blood tests checking liver and pancreatic functions which were all normal. Then she did a AB CT which was basically normal except some diverticulosis, and some simple cysts on my right kidney and ovary. But because the pain isn't going away I decided to reach to my GI doctor. He ordered the following tests and these are the results. Are these positive results for Celiac's disease? Does this mean I've had Celiac disease my whole life and have never known it? And could this be the cause of all my pain?  I'm so worried and tired of all the pain I have been.

Any help or information anyone could provide would be greatly appreciated.

TISSUE TRANSGLUTAMINASE IGA (U/ML)  Your value 81.6 U/mL                            Standard range<=14.9 U/mL

DEAMIDATED GLIADIN PEPTIDE IGA, QUALITATIVE, EIA                                          Your value17.3 U/mL                            Standard range<=14.9 U/mL

Thank you,

Daisy

[trents]

Your lab values seem to indicate celiac disease. The next step would be to talk to your GI doc about getting an upper GI scoping with biopsy of the small intestine villi. The villi would be blunted or worn down from the chronic inflammation characteristic of the disease in response to gluten ingestion. That has been considered the gold standard of diagnosis but your lab values may be convincing enough for your doctor to make a confident diagnosis of celiac disease.

[DaisyK]

Thank you for your response Trents. Is it possible for someone to eat gluten their whole life but then all the sudden become intolerant to it?

Thanks,

Daisy

[Scott Adams]

Since you tTg level was so high also discuss with your doctor whether or not you can be diagnosed without a biopsy, which the current trend in many cases:

Don’t go gluten-free just yet, until all testing is completed.

23 hours ago, DaisyK said:

Thank you for your response Trents. Is it possible for someone to eat gluten their whole life but then all the sudden become intolerant to it?

Thanks,

Daisy

Yes, the is quite common, and happened to me when I was 27.

[DaisyK]

Thank you for your response Scott. 

In your experience, is my test result is very high?  Also, could all the pain I've been experiencing on the right side of my back and abdomen, and hip pain at the joints be caused by Celiac's?

Sorry for all questions, I'm just in shock still because this wasn't even something I suspected. But am willing to gluten free to be rid of this pain.

Thank you,

Daisy

[trents]

16 hours ago, DaisyK said:

Thank you for your response Trents. Is it possible for someone to eat gluten their whole life but then all the sudden become intolerant to it?

Thanks,

Daisy

Yes. That is how it happens for most of us. You have to have the genetic potential for celiac disease (we know what the genes are). However, most people who have the gene potential never develop active Celiac disease. It takes both the gene potential and some kind of triggering stressful event (such as a viral infection) to switch the genes on. Active celiac disease can develop at anytime in life but is most commonly manifested in the first or third decade of life. Typically, it takes years before the disease is diagnosed and many people have already experienced significant damage to the small bowel lining, the immune system and developed other related disorders before they get a diagnosis. Many celiacs have very minor GI symptoms or none at all for quite a few years after the onset of the disease, which delays diagnosis. We call them "silent celiacs." The diagnosis finally comes after related medical problems begin to manifest themselves. I was one of  those. What actually led to my diagnosis was persistently elevated liver enzymes, mild anemia and some other lab values that were out of whack that could not be accounted for in the usual ways.

Edited February 7, 2021 by trents

[Scott Adams]

If the positive cutoff for this test result is 14.9, and you are at 81.6, I think that’s very high and would be pretty definitive:

TISSUE TRANSGLUTAMINASE IGA (U/ML)  Your value 81.6 U/mL                            Standard range<=14.9 U/mL

Definitely discuss this with your doctor.