Endoscopy???

[Tigress]

It all started this past summer when I thought I had food poisoning.  I had a rash on both legs, but thought it was because of the heat.  Anyway,  I started the B. R.A.T. diet to help with my stomach distress.  I ate some crackers and could actually see a rash breaking out on my arms.  Eventually, I felt somewhat better, but then my hair started shedding excessively.  I went to the dermatologist, and she was ordered blood work to check for nutritional deficiencies I asked her if she could order the tests for Celiac Disease.  Anyway, once my results came back, she suggested I go to a gastroenterologist.  The gastroenterologist was certainly speaking as if she believed that I have Celiac Disease, but she wants me to have an endoscopy  in three weeks.  I'm not really comfortable having such an invasive test preformed given how rampant Omnicron is spreading  in my state.  Is there any danger in assuming that I have it and eating gluten-free until I feel more comfortable getting the test done?  To be completely honest, I don't think I can continue to eat gluten for the next three weeks.  I feel absolutely lousy-(stomach pain, constipation, fatigue, rash, sweating after consuming gluten, congestion, joint pain.)

[trents]

Any testing, whether it be the serum antibody test or the endoscopy with biopsy will be invalidated if you have already begun eating gluten free. You would need to go back to eating an amount of gluten equivalent to two slices of wheat bread daily for two weeks before the endoscopy/biopsy for it to be a valid test. Both kinds of tests look for the inflammation and damage to the small bowel lining caused by the consumption of gluten by those with celiac disease. If you quit eating gluten and the small bowel lining (the "villi") heals then there will be no antibodies produced and not damage to the villi.

Can you get a hold of the test results from the celiac panel done by the dermatologist and post them here? Along with the reference ranges used by that particular lab?

There is nothing wrong with assuming you have either celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) if when you go gluten free and your symptoms improve. But if you want or need an official diagnosis you need to keep eating gluten and get the endoscopy/biopsy done. Also, it would help to distinguish between celiac disease and NCGS which share many common symptoms. NCGS does not damage the villi, however and that's an additional diagnostic value of the biopsy. Having said all that, if your serum antibody levels are unequivocally positive there is a very good chance you do have celiac disease. Also the rash could be dermatitis herpetiformis which has only one cause and that is celiac disease. Did the dermatologist biopsy your rash?

[Scott Adams]

Also, in Europe now they diagnose celiac disease using only blood tests when the tTG levels are 10x normal or higher, so it would be great if you can share your blood test results here.