Jump to content
  • You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

Celiac Diagnosis - bloodwork showed positive test results, is a biopsy worth it?


Alex-524

Recommended Posts

Alex-524 Newbie

Hello, I have a broken bone that has not healed over 7 months and my doctor is looking into a celiac diagnosis. Would greatly appreciate help interpreting test results/diagnosis process.

My test results were:
Tissue transglutaminase Ab IgA: HI (positive): 60.9, reference range: <12 U/mL
Deamidated gliadin peptide Ab IgG: HI (positive): 16.8, reference range: <12U/mL

Given both results were positive, is it worth it to do a biospy or is it very likely that I am Celiac? Hoping to avoid a biopsy if unnecessary, but dont want to transition to a gluten free diet if I will need to do a biopsy.

Appreciate any help as I try and navigate this!!


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



ravenwoodglass Mentor

Welcome to the board. Your results are quite high. If the idea of staying on gluten for a biopsy is not something you want to do you could go strictly gluten free and then have your doctor recheck your antibodies after a few months. Be aware that damage can be patchy so you would need a good strict trial of the diet even if the biopsy comes back negative.  Whether you do a biopsy or not it would be a good idea to get your vitamin levels tested. There is a bit of a learning curve to being gluten free and it can take a while to heal and there are many knowledgeable folks here to help you in the process. I hope you are feeing better soon.

ravenwoodglass Mentor

Forgot to mention that with slow bone healing do ask your doctor to do a bone scan to check for osteopenia or osteoporisis. Bone loss can be found in celiacs and may resolve on its own with supplementation and weight bearing excercise for us.

GFinDC Veteran

You have 2 positive antibody results, so most likely do have celiac disease.  Ravenwood is right, it would be good for you to get your vitamin and mineral levels tested.  Unfortunately, many people with celiac can't tolerate milk/dairy at first.  So it's important to get a calcium supplement like calcium citrate.  Some of the calcium citrate supplements have vitamin D in them also, which is good for bones.   Boron is also important for bone health.  A mineral supplement is probably a good idea.

Alex-524 Newbie

Thank you both for your help, really appreciate the insight!!!

GodsGal Community Regular
1 hour ago, Alex_524 said:

Thank you both for your help, really appreciate the insight!!!

I would suggest that you follow up with your doctor about whether or not you need the biopsy before cutting gluten out of your diet.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      134,076
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      10,442

    Murielle Beaulieu
    Newest Member
    Murielle Beaulieu
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.7k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      Sigh. I posted this yesterday based on the Safeway website. I went back again today to their website to double check. On the page where they are selling Vanilla Bean flavor, it has a distinct Certified Gluten Free label. Other flavors on the Safeway website didn't have the gluten-free statement. Today I went into the store. None of the flavors I looked at, including Vanilla Bean, have a Gluten Free statement. Is it safe? Who knows. The ingredients are either safe or nearly safe (some have "natural flavor"). There are warnings about "contains milk and soy" but not about wheat - this implies they are safe, but again, who knows. On the other hand, every flavor I checked of their Slow Churn line of ice creams has wheat as an ingredient. 100% not safe.
    • knitty kitty
      Do keep in mind that many of the newly diagnosed have lactose intolerance.  This is because the villi lining the intestinal tract are damaged, and can no longer make the enzyme lactAse which breaks down the milk sugar lactOse.  When the villi grow back (six months to two years), they can again produce the enzyme lactAse, and lactose intolerance is resolved.  However, some people (both those with and without Celiac Disease) are genetically programmed to stop producing lactase as they age.   Do be aware that many processed foods, including ice cream, use Microbial Transglutaminase, a food additive commonly called "meat glue," used to enhance texture and flavor.  This microbial transglutaminase has the same immunogenicity as tissue transglutaminase which the body produces in response to gluten in people with Celiac Disease.  Tissue Transglutaminase (tTg IgA) is measured to diagnose Celiac Disease in blood tests.  Microbial Transglutaminase acts the same as Tissue Transglutaminase, causing increased intestinal permeability and inflammation.   New findings show that microbial transglutaminase may be able to trigger Celiac Disease and other autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.   Microbial Transglutaminase is not required to be listed on ingredients labels as it's considered a processing aid, not an ingredient in the U.S.  Microbial Transglutaminase has been GRAS for many years, but that GRAS standing is being questioned more and more as the immunogenicity of microbial transglutaminase is being discovered. Interesting Reading:  Microbial Transglutaminase Is a Very Frequently Used Food Additive and Is a Potential Inducer of Autoimmune/Neurodegenerative Diseases https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8537092/
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      There is a 10 year old post in this forum on Edy's and Dreyer's ice cream. The information is somewhat outdated and the thread is closed to further comment, so here is a new one. Edy's And Dreyer's Grand Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - 1.5 Quart is labeled "Gluten Free". This is a different answer than years gone by. I don't know the answer for any other flavor at this moment. On 1 May, 2026, Edy's website says: "As a general rule, the gluten in Edy's and Dreyer's® frozen dessert products is present only in the added bakery products, such as cookies, cake or brownies. We always label the eight major food allergens on our package by their common name. We recommend to always check the label for the most current information before purchasing and/or consuming a product. The exception to this rule is our Slow Churned French Silk frozen dairy dessert, which contains gluten in the natural flavors." https://www.icecream.com/us/en/brands/edys-and-dreyers/faq It seems that Edy's and Dreyer's are more celiac-friendly than they were 10 years ago. Once I found enough information to make today's buying decision, I stopped researching.
    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      probably not your situation @Mimiof2, but allow me to add one more to @trents list of celiac-mimics: "olmesartan-induced sprue-like enteropathy"  
    • knitty kitty
      My dad had an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.  Fortunately, it was discovered during an exam.  The doctor could feel my dad's heart beating in his stomach/abdomen.  The aneurysm burst when the doctor first touched it in surgery.  Since he was already hooked up to the bypass machine, my dad survived ten more years.  Close call! Triple A's can press on the nerves in the spinal cord causing leg pain.  I'm wondering if bowing the head might have increased the pressure on an aneurysm and then the nerves.   https://gulfcoastsurgeons.com/understanding-abdominal-aortic-aneurysm-symptoms-and-causes/ Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Presenting as a Claudication https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4040638/
×
×
  • Create New...