Confusing results

[kshuf]

My adult son saw a primary care physician because of symptoms - gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, etc. The doctor ordered blood tests. The report reads:

Endomysial Antibody IgA01 Negative

tTG IgA01  3 U/ml 

Immunoglobulin A, Qn, Serum01 188 mg/dL

This report was accompanied by a letter saying, "You have celiac disease and should follow a gluten free diet."

Nobody in our family has ever been diagnosed with celiac, so there is not a strong genetic component.

We are very confused. What is the next step for him?

[plumbago]

16 minutes ago, kshuf said:

My adult son saw a primary care physician because of symptoms - gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, etc. The doctor ordered blood tests. The report reads:

Endomysial Antibody IgA01 Negative

tTG IgA01  3 U/ml 

Immunoglobulin A, Qn, Serum01 188 mg/dL

This report was accompanied by a letter saying, "You have celiac disease and should follow a gluten free diet."

Nobody in our family has ever been diagnosed with celiac, so there is not a strong genetic component.

We are very confused. What is the next step for him?

Can you put the reference ranges for the three tests? Was ttg igA positive or negative?

[kshuf]

2 minutes ago, plumbago said:

Can you put the reference ranges for the three tests? Was ttg igA positive or negative?

Reference interval on the EMA just says negative

Reference interval on the tTG IgA:  Negative 0-3, Weak Positive 4-10, Positive >10

I think it says the tTG IgA is Negative, but the formatting of the report is wonky and it's hard to tell.

Reference interval on the last one is mg/dL 90-386

 

 

[plumbago]

That's weird, right? Based on everything you've posted and answered, that would not be a positive Celiac case. Are we missing something?

I would insist on some clarification. Me in your shoes, I'd fax a letter to the practitioner, along with a copy of the tests, asking for the reason behind the positive diagnosis, and clarification.

Next steps depend on getting an accurate diagnosis. This, to me, is not it. Others may chime in with their opinions.

[kshuf]

6 minutes ago, plumbago said:

That's weird, right? Based on everything you've posted and answered, that would not be a positive Celiac case. Are we missing something?

I would insist on some clarification. Me in your shoes, I'd fax a letter to the practitioner, along with a copy of the tests, asking for the reason behind the positive diagnosis, and clarification.

Next steps depend on getting an accurate diagnosis. This, to me, is not it. Others may chime in with their opinions.

Thanks for confirming that it looks weird. I am a newbie at this disease and these tests, so I thought maybe I was just misreading the information I'm finding.

[trents]

31 minutes ago, kshuf said:

Nobody in our family has ever been diagnosed with celiac, so there is not a strong genetic component.

Most people with celiac disease are in fact not ever diagnosed. That is due primarily to the ignorance of the profession with regard to this disease. They are misdiagnosed with other conditions. Another reason is that many people who do have celiac disease have few or only minor symptoms for lots of years.