Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    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):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

2 + and 2- on blood...

Jzsnow
 Share

Recommended Posts

Jzsnow Newbie
Jzsnow
Posted

Hi y’all. My 13 year old daughter had a celiac panel a few weeks ago. Her biopsy is today. 
 

Here are the blood results:

deamidated gliadin Abs, IgA 20 (weak +)

Deamidated gliadin Abs, IgG 2 (0-19 is neg)

T-transglutaminase tTG, IgA <2 (0-3 is neg)

t-transglutaminase tTG, IgG 8 (weak + is 5-8)

So what do y’all think? Why would you have 2 positives and 2 negatives?

symptoms: always constipated, stomach pain nightly, swollen lymph nodes in her stomach, anemic for not ferritin levels but rather iron saturation, and must nap after volleyball practice, the gym, etc.

thanks!!

 

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


trents Grand Master
trents
Posted
(edited)
17 minutes ago, Jzsnow said:

Hi y’all. My 13 year old daughter had a celiac panel a few weeks ago. Her biopsy is today. 
 

Here are the blood results:

deamidated gliadin Abs, IgA 20 (weak +)

Deamidated gliadin Abs, IgG 2 (0-19 is neg)

T-transglutaminase tTG, IgA <2 (0-3 is neg)

t-transglutaminase tTG, IgG 8 (weak + is 5-8)

So what do y’all think? Why would you have 2 positives and 2 negatives?

symptoms: always constipated, stomach pain nightly, swollen lymph nodes in her stomach, anemic for not ferritin levels but rather iron saturation, and must nap after volleyball practice, the gym, etc.

thanks!!

 

Before I forget, I hope your daughter has not  been trying to eat gluten free since her blood tests were done. Doing so may have allowed healing of the small bowel villi and cloud the biopsy test results.

The centerpiece of the blood antibody labs is the tTG-IGA. It is the most specific for celiac disease and is positive. The other antibody tests are less specific for celiac disease and if they are positive it can point to other inflammatory diseases of the gut. Therefore, it is quite common for some of the antibody tests to be negative and some positive when someone has celiac disease. Do you have the result for total IGA count? If total IGA is low it depresses the individual IGA tests. Kudos to your doctor for running the full celiac antibody panel instead of just the tTG-IGA.

Keep us posted. Her symptoms scream of either celiac disease or non celiac gluten sensitivity and the blood work points to celiac disease. 

Edited by trents
Jzsnow Newbie
Jzsnow
Posted
  • Author

Oh no, we absolutely gluttoned her up prior to today. We basically had to force her to eat last night. Her stomach was hurting and she just didn’t want food anymore.

It’s is just confusing when there are 2 tTG and 2 deamidated yet she’s 1:1 for each. Makes almost zero sense to me.

8 minutes ago, trents said:

Before I forget, I hope your daughter has not  been trying to eat gluten free since her blood tests were done. Doing so may have allowed healing of the small bowel villi and cloud the biopsy test results.

The centerpiece of the blood antibody labs is the tTG-IGA. It is the most specific for celiac disease and is positive. It is quite common for some of the antibody tests to be negative and some positive when someone has celiac disease. Do you have the result for total IGA count? If total IGA is low it depresses the individual IGA tests. Kudos to your doctor for running the full celiac antibody panel instead of just the tTG-IGA.

Keep us posted. Her symptoms scream of either celiac disease or non celiac gluten sensitivity and the blood work points to celiac disease. 

You said the TTG-IGA is the most specific, but that was negative...it was <2.

trents Grand Master
trents
Posted

The biopsy is the gold standard of celiac disease diagnosis. Especially when the blood work is inconclusive. Yes, you are correct about my mistake with the TTG-IGA. My bad. I didn't look closely enough. It is also possible your daughter has non celiac gluten sensitivity which has most of the same symptoms as celiac disease but does not damage the small bowel villi.

If she has been off of gluten several weeks before the biopsy, one day of gluten cramming immediately before the biopsy will not do it. The guidelines are consumption of two slices of wheat bread daily (or the equivalent) for at least two weeks before the biopsy. Unfortunately, many docs fail to inform their patients about the need to be eating gluten regularly before testing.

Scott Adams Grand Master
Scott Adams
Posted

From the symptoms you describe and her two positive results, it does look like she may have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and the treatment for either is the same, a gluten-free diet. The final confirmation would be the biopsy results, but even if that comes back negative, the true test would be if her symptoms go away on a gluten-free diet, and come back once gluten is added back.

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
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,893
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Sgp
    Newest Member
    Sgp
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Patiently Waiting to See Results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      You've done an excellent job of meticulously tracking the rash's unpredictable behavior, from its symmetrical spread and stubborn scabbing to the potential triggers you've identified, like the asthma medication and dietary changes. It's particularly telling that the rash seems to flare with wheat consumption, even though your initial blood test was negative—as you've noted, being off wheat before a test can sometimes lead to a false negative, and your description of the other symptoms—joint pain, brain fog, stomach issues—is very compelling. The symmetry of the rash is a crucial detail that often points toward an internal cause, such as an autoimmune response or a systemic reaction, rather than just an external irritant like a plant or mites. I hope your doctor tomorrow takes the time to listen carefully to all of this evidence you've gathered and works with you to find some real answers and effective relief. Don't be discouraged if the rash fluctuates; your detailed history is the most valuable tool you have for getting an accurate diagnosis.
    • Scott Adams
      Gluten free beer ?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      In this case the beer is excellent, but for those who are super sensitive it is likely better to go the full gluten-free beer route. Lakefront Brewery (another sponsor!) has good gluten-free beer made without any gluten ingredients.
    • trents
      Patiently Waiting to See Results

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @catsrlife! Celiac disease can be diagnosed without committing to a full-blown "gluten challenge" if you get a skin biopsy done during an active outbreak of dermatitis herpetiformis, assuming that is what is causing the rash. There is no other known cause for dermatitis herpetiformis so it is definitive for celiac disease. You would need to find a dermatologist who is familiar with doing the biopsy correctly, however. The samples need to be taken next to the pustules, not on them . . . a mistake many dermatologists make when biopsying for dermatitis herpetiformis. 
    • trents
      How Come Gluten Didnt Bother Me In Italy

      By trents · Posted

      You state in an earlier post that you don't have celiac disease. Here in this post you state you will "be doing another test". What will this test be looking for? What kind of celiac disease testing have you had done? If you have used a Entero Labs it sounds like you have had stool testing done for celiac disease which is not widely accepted as a valid celiac disease diagnostic testing method. Have you had blood antibody testing for celiac disease done and do you realize that for antibody testing to be valid you must have been eating generous amounts of gluten for a period of weeks/months? 
    • Gigi2025
      How Come Gluten Didnt Bother Me In Italy

      By Gigi2025 · Posted

      No, I've not been diagnosed as celiac.  Despite Entero Labs being relocated to Switzerland/Greece, I'll be doing another test. After eating wheat products in Greece for 4 weeks, there wasn't any reaction.  However, avoiding it here in the states.   Thanks everyone for your responses.  
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.