not sure

[Denise3820]

Hi Everyone-

I am new to the board and I was just tested for Celiac...my TTAB, Iga was high however the EMA test was negative.  I have an appt with a GI on Monday, hopefully, to schedule a biopsy.  Could I still have Celiac?  My symptoms are abdominal pain, mostly in upper, greasy stools, and I have back tingling. (not sure if that is caused by my high anxiety cause I have no clue what is going on with my body)  I am an emotional wreck right now, I thought I had pancreatic cancer but my ct scan and bloodwork are negative.  I just can't think of anything else and it is driving me to levels of anxiety I have never experienced.  

[Scott Adams]

Your symptoms are certainly consistent with untreated celiac disease, but could you give more info about your blood tests? Did you have a tTG test done?

Can you share the exact results, with the reference ranges?

Here is more info on the blood tests:

 

[Denise3820]

I had the tTg-IgA done and my results were 22.2 and anything greater the 15 was considered high.  I am so new to this and I have no clue what to think.  I have gone down the Google rabbit hole (which I don't recommend) for about a month before this test result and have eaten gluten-free since Saturday.  

 

[Denise3820]

Sorry I missed the 22.2 U/mL 

[Russ H]

tTG2-IgA 10x or greater the standard upper limit is pretty sure to be coeliac disease. More moderate levels outside the standard range (as yours is) can be caused by coeliac disease but also other conditions such as Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The EMA test is an old test that is relatively insensitive and course in its results due to the way it is conducted. It is now known that EMA just detects tTG2-IgA but is just less sensitive than testing for it directly, which is likely why your result was negative as your level is only just outside the standard range.

[trents]

3 hours ago, Denise3820 said:

Hi Everyone-

I am new to the board and I was just tested for Celiac...my TTAB, Iga was high however the EMA test was negative.  I have an appt with a GI on Monday, hopefully, to schedule a biopsy.  Could I still have Celiac?  My symptoms are abdominal pain, mostly in upper, greasy stools, and I have back tingling. (not sure if that is caused by my high anxiety cause I have no clue what is going on with my body)  I am an emotional wreck right now, I thought I had pancreatic cancer but my ct scan and bloodwork are negative.  I just can't think of anything else and it is driving me to levels of anxiety I have never experienced.  

The EMA test is highly specific for celiac disease but it is an expensive test and is kind of a last resort of many docs. It is normal to not be positive on all celiac blood tests.

Edited April 18, 2023 by trents

[TracySue]

Keep at it. It took the VA 20+ years to finally diagnose me with celiac disease. Don't give up fighting for your symptoms. I had 5 years of scopes, biopsies and negative tests until a positive result.