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Help interpreting blood results

forzaebellezza1982
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forzaebellezza1982 Newbie
forzaebellezza1982
Posted

Quick Background: 

-Was told to do Low FODMAP diet a few years back after a hospital stay and lots of antibiotics messed up my gut 
-Reintroduced gluten about 1.5 years ago and did ok
-Got pregnant in January and after eating a massive meal from Domino's (ugh), started miscarrying the next day
-Had elevated ALT levels during pregnancy that dropped after the miscarriage
-After I lost the baby, continued to eat gluten up until a week ago and was having persistent diarrhea, hot flashes in face, itchy skin and fatigue. Also haven't dropped the pregnancy weight. 

In retracing the above, I thought it might make sense to get tested for celiac disease. After my test, I went gluten-free again and have seen significant symptom reduction already. 

These are the results. I'm confused. What is the role of the serum? Do the negatives on the others mean anything? 

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trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

tTG is the most specific test for celiac disease but the least sensitive. It's a good idea to get full celiac panel when initial bloodwork with tTG-IGA alone doesn't indicate celiac disease.

forzaebellezza1982 Newbie
forzaebellezza1982
Posted
  • Author
36 minutes ago, trents said:

tTG is the most specific test for celiac disease but the least sensitive. It's a good idea to get full celiac panel when initial bloodwork with tTG-IGA alone doesn't indicate celiac disease.

So if I'm hearing you correctly, the high serum is likely indicative of celiac disease despite the other negatives?

trents Grand Master
trents
Posted
(edited)

Serum is the term for the liquid part of blood. It is not a particular kind of blood test. "Serum testing" refers to any test that is done using blood.

Here is an article that explains the serum (or blood) tests that can be done to diagnose celiac disease: https://celiac.org/about-celiac-disease/screening-and-diagnosis/screening/ 

It sounds like you have only had the tTG-IGA test done.

Edited by trents
Scott Adams Grand Master
Scott Adams
Posted

Unless I'm missing something it looks like your results are negative, but more info about how to interpret them is in the article below. Also keep in mind that a negative blood test does not rule out gluten sensitivity, which ~12% of people have.

 

 

RMJ Mentor
RMJ
Posted
3 hours ago, forzaebellezza1982 said:

So if I'm hearing you correctly, the high serum is likely indicative of celiac disease despite the other negatives?

Immunoglobulin A, Serum, is a test for total IgA, not celiac-specific IgA.  It is performed because some people have low total IgA and for them the IgA tests for celiac may not be accurate.  High total serum IgA is NOT indicative of celiac disease despite the other negatives.

There are other blood tests for celiac disease which can be done.  If you still suspect celiac disease you could ask for the DGP (deamidated gliadin peptide) antibody tests.

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