blood test results

[Shireen32]

Hi, 

Done blood work that shows a serum tissue transglutaminase level of over 250. Endomysial antibody IGA level positive. Positive for IGA antibodies against endomysium. Immunoglobulin M high out of range.  Anyways I have never really had any symptoms to indicate coeliac disease apart from cramps  then and now. On the day of my blood test I ate gluten about 30 minutes before, a sandwich etc gluten products could this cause the blood to show positive against coeliac disease. Can eating gluten right before your blood test give a false positive result what are the odds? 

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, Shireen32!

You are what we call a "silent celiac". That is, one who does not manifest obvious GI distress. I was one of those before my diagnosis.

Eating gluten immediately before an antibody test blood draw would have no meaningful impact on test scores.

Are you being referred to a GI doc for an endoscopy/biopsy of the small bowel lining? In the UK and perhaps other European countries by now, if the tTG-IGA score is 10x normal they often will forego the biopsy and declare a celiac diagnosis on the antibody testing alone.

[RMJ]

I will second what @trents said.  Eating gluten right before a test will not affect the antibody levels. Antibodies aren’t created that quickly.

I also thought I was a silent celiac.  Once I went gluten free I just generally felt better.

[Scott Adams]

The antibodies are mainly only produced in individuals who mount and autoimmune reaction to gliadin, which is the part of gluten that triggers this reaction. People without celiac disease or gluten sensitivity can eat all the gluten they want and won't normally test positive.

[patty-maguire]

You may be a silent celiac or you may be having other symptoms besides the classic stomach issues.  I didn't think I had celiac and reluctantly went for the test when my doctor ordered it.  Once I learned more I realized a lot of the issues I'd had throughout my life were likely related.  Some things to look for: skin rashes, brittle hair and nails, low iron, folate, B12, dairy intolerance, fertility issues, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain.  There are more but that's a decent list of the most common ones.  All the best.

[Shireen32]

On 5/7/2023 at 1:07 PM, patty_maguire said:

You may be a silent celiac or you may be having other symptoms besides the classic stomach issues.  I didn't think I had celiac and reluctantly went for the test when my doctor ordered it.  Once I learned more I realized a lot of the issues I'd had throughout my life were likely related.  Some things to look for: skin rashes, brittle hair and nails, low iron, folate, B12, dairy intolerance, fertility issues, fatigue, brain fog, joint pain.  There are more but that's a decent list of the most common ones.  All the best.

Thank you so much . How does one test for lactose intolerance. Is it a blood test or what ? As my doctor refused this tests and told me if you think your having issues stop drinking milk just cut it out .

[trents]

2 hours ago, Shireen32 said:

Thank you so much . How does one test for lactose intolerance. Is it a blood test or what ? As my doctor refused this tests and told me if you think your having issues stop drinking milk just cut it out .

That I know of, there is no test for lactose intolerance. But dairy intolerance can also be due to an intolerance to the protein casein found in milk. Lactose is the sugar in milk.