Confused by test results

[Ned Scott]

My endocrinologist (I have T2 diabetes) did a test for celiac (tTG/DGP) and the results from Labcorp just said POSITIVE ABNORMAL with no numbers. Her nurse who called about the results told me the doctor recommended I see my gastroenterologist. At this point I really don’t know what to do. Has anyone got a result like that?

[trents]

52 minutes ago, Ned Scott said:

My endocrinologist (I have T2 diabetes) did a test for celiac (tTG/DGP) and the results from Labcorp just said POSITIVE ABNORMAL with no numbers. Her nurse who called about the results told me the doctor recommended I see my gastroenterologist. At this point I really don’t know what to do. Has anyone got a result like that?

Welcome to the forum, Ned!

Yes, sometimes we get posters who report that their physicians gave them scant information about their testing and nothing more than "positive". I think some doctors assume most patients would not comprehend any additional information beyond that anyway. Do you have access online to your medical chart that you can see if there is more info posted there? I'm in the USA and can do that. Or, can you call the doctor's office and get more detail about exactly which tests were run and what the numbers were?

When you say, "at this point I really don't know what to do", what kind of guidance are you looking for. Are you reluctant to go forward with the recommendation for seeing a gastro doc? The gastro doc may want to repeat the serum antibody test or may elect to go forward with an endoscopy/biopsy based on the results of the serum antibody testing done by your PCP.

[Ned Scott]

The test results said exactly that. No numbers at all. The only test was tTG/DGP. Of course I will follow up with my gastroenterologist. I never knew celiac was so serious. Thanks. 

[trents]

First, celiac disease is not a food allergy. It is an autoimmune disorder that triggers inflammation in the lining of the small bowel when gluten is consumed. The celiac's immune system incorrectly responds to the gluten protein as it would an invader. The small bowel lining is made up of little finger-like projections and is the area of the intestinal track where essentially all the nutrition from our food is absorbed. Over time, this villous surface is worn down and flattened by the inflammation when gluten is being consumed meal after meal, day after day. This greatly reduces the surface area and greatly reduces the efficiency with which the nutrients can be absorbed by the small bowel lining and then passed into the blood stream for distribution to the rest of the body. Long term undiagnosed celiac disease thus results in numerous vitamin and mineral deficiencies and their related diseases.

[RMJ]

That is odd - there should be numbers and a reference range.  Here is a link to a sample report on the LabCorp website.  Someone isn’t giving out the full information.

LabCorp sample report

[Kate333]

Just call the PCP back and request the detailed test results again.  If that gets nowhere, follow up and schedule a gastro consult and ask the GI for an updated TTG/IgA blood test and to share the detailed results with you.  If the GI won't do that, then get a home TTG/IgA test kit.  They cost $100 in the US and the results are very detailed.  But you MUST be eating gluten at the time you are tested or the any results could be inaccurate.  

[Ned Scott]

Thanks for your input. I scheduled a visit with my gastroenterologist to get to the bottom of this. 

[trents]

35 minutes ago, Ned Scott said:

Thanks for your input. I scheduled a visit with my gastroenterologist to get to the bottom of this. 

Ned, make sure you do not begin the gluten free diet until after all tests are complete, including an endoscopy/biopsy should the GI doc want to go forward with that.

[Ned Scott]

Will do. My appointment isn’t until October.