Need help deciphering blood results

[Countrygiant95]

TRANSGLUTAMINASE,IgA,Ab

Most Recent Results:

22.0    Reference positive under  10       Endomysial Antibody was negative     

GLIADIN(DP) IgA,Ab

1.5  reference positive under 10

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, Countrygiant9!

The posted test results data are confusing.

Positives should be higher than the reference range but the way it's worded in your post, positive is being referred to as under the negative/positive threshold. Can you clarify this?

In other words, as an example, a negative result would be 10 or below and a positive value would be greater than 10. Can you help us out here?

[Scott Adams]

I agree, and this article may be helpful:

 

[Countrygiant95]

7 minutes ago, trents said:

Welcome to the forum, Countrygiant9!

The posted test results data are confusing.

Positives should be higher than the reference range but the way it's worded in your post, positive is being referred to as under the negative/positive threshold. Can you clarify this?

In other words, as an example, a negative result would be 10 or below and a positive value would be greater than 10. Can you help us out here?

Sorry about that and yes 10 is what’s considered a positive result. Anything under 10 is considered negative 

[trents]

Two primary celiac antibody tests were run: tTG-IgA, Ab and the endomysial antibody (or EMA for short) and one secondary test (Gliadin DP IGA, Ab). You were positive for one of the two primary tests and negative for the secondary test. It is odd that you were positive for the tTG-IGA but negative for the EMA. The tTG-IGA is the most common test ordered by physicians as it combines good sensitivity with good specificity for celiac disease. I would guess you do have celiac disease but the test results are not unequivocal. The next step for you logically is to pursue an endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining to check for the damage caused to the villous lining that celiac disease causes. This is considered to be the gold standard for celiac disease diagnosis.

Can you tell us what brought about your testing for celiac disease? What symptoms were you having and for how long or was there other lab work that was out of norm that prompted the doc to order celiac antibody testing?

[Countrygiant95]

1 minute ago, trents said:

Two primary celiac antibody tests were run: tTG-IgA, Ab and the endomysial antibody (or EMA for short) and one secondary test (Gliadin DP IGA, Ab). You were positive for one of the two primary tests and negative for the secondary test. It is odd that you were positive for the tTG-IGA but negative for the EMA. The tTG-IGA is the most common test ordered by physicians as it combines good sensitivity with good specificity for celiac disease. I would guess you do have celiac disease but the test results are not unequivocal. The next step for you logically is to pursue an endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining to check for the damage caused to the villous lining that celiac disease causes. This is considered to be the gold standard for celiac disease diagnosis.

Can you tell us what brought about your testing for celiac disease? What symptoms were you having and for how long or was there other lab work that was out of norm that prompted the doc to order celiac antibody testing?

I’m hypothyroid with iron deficiency without anemia and we’re not sure why I’m hypothyroid. They just gave me synthroid and my tsh levels are now in the acceptable range so they left it alone 

Just now, Countrygiant95 said:

I’m hypothyroid with iron deficiency without anemia with slow transit constipation and gas and we’re not sure why I’m hypothyroid. They just gave me synthroid and my tsh levels are now in the acceptable range so they left it alone 

 

[trents]

Kudos to your physician for ordering celiac disease tests in response to your hypothyroidism, for making that connection. Most would not. Can you clarify or give more details about having iron deficiency without anemia? There are several iron measures that can be tested, e.g, hemoglobin, ferritin, transferritin. Some measure immediate serum iron levels and some measure iron in storage and transport. What was it that was actually deficient?

[Countrygiant95]

2 minutes ago, trents said:

Kudos to your physician for ordering celiac disease tests in response to your hypothyroidism, for making that connection. Most would not. Can you clarify or give more details about having iron deficiency without anemia? There are several iron measures that can be tested, e.g, hemoglobin, ferritin, transferritin. Some measure immediate serum iron levels and some measure iron in storage and transport. What was it that was actually deficient?

My total iron was borderline low. My ferritin was like 12 and hemoglobin is perfectly fine 

[trents]

1 minute ago, Countrygiant95 said:

My total iron was borderline low. My ferritin was like 12 and hemoglobin is perfectly fine 

Sounds like you are on the verge of anemia but you caught it early on.

[Countrygiant95]

3 minutes ago, trents said:

Sounds like you are on the verge of anemia but you caught it early on.

All of this popped up at my physical in November. She was saying my thyroid condition might be causing the ttg positive or that I may have something else autoimmune immune going on like crohns

[trents]

Besides celiac disease, the tTG elevation could point to Crone's but I'm not sure about the thyroid.