Blood Test results--one low, but the other high?

[mspat3]

My allergist had me go for testing for nut allergies, and she added in a few other tests, including a "Celiac Disease Comp Panel W/Gliadin AB (IGG)" because I already have a known wheat allergy (through skin prick test), and I have seen 20 years of IBS symptoms reverse itself by removing gluten from my diet.   

When I found out I could not delay the test, I started eating gluten for 10 days prior to having the blood work to see if it might detect something. 

The celiac part of the test came back with the following results: 

Tissue Transglutaminase: <1.0   (Reference <15.0 = Antibody not detected)

Immunoglobulin A:   450  (Reference 47-310)

So, my TTG was a negative (super low, less than 1), but my IGA was high.  

My telehealth visit to discuss these results will be on the 31st, but I'm curious if anyone knows what it means to have one value low and the other high?  

If it helps, along with the nut panel, they also ran a test for Immunoglobulin E, and that came back as a result of 194 (reference is less than or equal to 114 would be normal) so this is high also.  Not sure if this was requested as part of the nut allergy tests or whether it has any relation to the celiac test.  

Thank you! 

[RMJ]

The immunoglobulin A (IgA) test is not a test for celiac disease.  It is run to see if you are deficient in total IgA.  If someone is deficient in total IgA, negative results in the celiac-specific IgA test can be misleading and the doctor should then order IgG tests.

You are not deficient in total IgA, you are a bit high.  Probably nothing to worry about but you can discuss with your doctor.  

Your anti-tissue transglutaminase test was negative.  What were the results of the anti-gliadin test?

Is the IgE test total IgE or wheat-specific IgE?

[mspat3]

Thank you for explaining.   Under the Celiac panel section of my test, it does not list results for the gliadin test, although it clearly says it in the panel name.  The only two results listed are the TTG and the IGA.  

For the IGE, I am going to guess that it is total and not wheat-specific.  I think my allergist added that in because she was also testing me for various types of nut allergies after testing positive for peanuts on a skin-prick test.  She wanted to see to what degree I was allergic to peanuts since I've been eating them my entire life with no problem, as well as other nuts.  So she had the IGE test added, and then the last test she added was the celiac panel, saying that she was curious about celiac due to knowing I already have an allergy to wheat through a skin-prick test, and upon hearing from me at my first visit to her office that a gluten-free diet had reversed 20 years of IBS symptoms in just days.  

 

[Scott Adams]

If you end up with a negative blood test for celiac disease, but do have symptoms you've noticed when you eat wheat, you may still want to try out a gluten-free diet for a while. 10x more people have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, but there isn't yet a test for it. If the diet helps with your symptoms, you may have NCGS.

[mspat3]

51 minutes ago, Scott Adams said:

If you end up with a negative blood test for celiac disease, but do have symptoms you've noticed when you eat wheat, you may still want to try out a gluten-free diet for a while. 10x more people have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, but there isn't yet a test for it. If the diet helps with your symptoms, you may have NCGS.

Thank you, Scott.  I spoke with my allergist today, and she said the same.  Until I have located a gastroenterologist in my area and established a relationship there, she said she feels certain that I do have a gluten sensitivity, and we also know that I have a wheat allergy, so she recommended going gluten-free again.  I definitely felt better on a gluten-free diet the first time, and when I started eating gluten again, my symptoms came back so much worse, not just digestive and body aches but also headaches and terrible brain-fog that had me really concerned.   I am looking forward to being un-glutened again. https://www.celiac.com/uploads/emoticons/default_smile.png

[CatrionaB]

It sounds like you just have Wheat allergy, not celiac disease! With wheat allergy you should avoid all gluten, due to cross contamination with wheat, as well as similar proteins, spelt is a form of wheat! All gluten cereals can have contamination with wheat e. g. allthough oats are naturally gluten free they are contaminated with gluten! You should only consume certified gluten free oats! For the nut allergies, you should get tested for the specific nuts, to clarify which ones you can still eat, maybe it is only peanut allergy... So looks like you only have allergies... For a celiac to recover from gluten consumption it takes more than just a couple of days, it can take weeks or months, healing of the gut after a single gluten meal takes 6 to 12 months. I have celiac disease and IBS, true IBS does not go away on a gluten free diet, low foodmap diet is the only thing that works. Your lucky to not have celiac disease.

[CatrionaB]

IGE is a food allergy test and has nothing to do with celiac disease. You should ask your doctor which foods tested positive! They should tell you what your allergic to.