Tissue Transglutaminase Ab, IgA 4

[Fritz 93401]

I've been struggling with wheat for years and I do get the dermititis h...at least what appears to be. I'm 62. The Dr didn't give me any instructions before the blood test or that he was even doing a celiac test. I've been pretty much gluten free trying to get rid of my animal rash after cheating over the holidays but not worrying about cross contamination. I got a 4 on the igA test.

Normally a mostly gluten-free diet works for me as long as I don't drink too much alcohol. At the end of last year I got what I thought at the time must be mild COVID with serious gurgling of the stomach and the runs. It never went away. I've also in the last year had severe gastritis twice to the point of only being able to hold down a few sips of water an hour for three days.

My question is do I need to suffer through eating gluten before my biopsy in a month? Or will 62 years of damage show up no matter what I do? I was going to ask how significant at score of 4 on the Tissue Transglutaminase Ab, IgA test, but reading my own post I don't think I need to request a second blood test where I eat gluten before the biopsy.

Thanks

[Fritz 93401]

animal rash is supposed to be annual rash

[Fritz 93401]

I also have neuropathy/ balance issues and iron deficiency anemia.

[Scott Adams]

Do you happen to have the reference ranges for the blood tests you took? Each lab is a bit different in how they score it.

Also, you would need to eat 2 slices of wheat bread daily for at least 2 weeks before the endoscopy, otherwise it could be a false-negative result. Given your symptoms, and discomfort when eating gluten, it sounds like you already have your answer.

Keep in mind that even if you don't have celiac disease, and the biopsy is negative, you could still have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and unfortunately they don't have a test yet for that.

[Fritz 93401]

Thanks 0-3 is considered negative according to the report. I don't think I could manage two slices for two weeks as I would get no sleep and maybe bleed out from scratching. I've experimented enough in the 10 years I've been avoiding wheat to be sure it's the culprit. Soy's also a problem but that leads to bigger pencil eraser sized bumps. Maybe I should postpone the biopsy and try a true gluten free diet with no eating out.

 

 

[Scott Adams]

If you already know gluten is your issue, I'm not sure if there is a need for a formal diagnosis. It may preclude you from certain follow up tests, but in reality I have to push hard for any follow up testing that has ever been done, as my doctor would not order any on their own.

Also, a diagnosis can cause higher private health and life insurance premiums, so there may be a benefit not getting diagnosed.

[Fritz 93401]

Thanks, it's my experience that the average doctors appointment is not long enough to adequately discuss any complex medical issue