I might have celiacs

[Snoopy23456]

Hi all! 
 

im 24 and about a month ago I started dealing with many stomach flare ups. I’ve always thought I had ibs so I just ignored it. Then two weeks ago I went to urgent care because I felt so gross that I couldn’t fall asleep. And then a week ago I went to the ER for stomach pain that was primarily gas. I felt so full and nauseous. It happened a few hours after consuming mac and cheese. I have had stomach issues my whole life but my family never did much about it despite the few ER trips and the many bouts of gastritis. Additionally I always hated eating. Recently I also learned I have hypoglycemia. And I’ve been dealing with Thrush which I heard can be more common in those with autoimmune conditions. After my trip to the ER I followed up with a doctor who order blood work, including a celiacs panel, as well as an EGD and colonoscopy. I go next week for the EGD and I’m scared. When I got my blood work back, my Gliadin Deaminated Antibody IgA was elevated by a bit. The rest of the screenings were normal though. I am nervous. I am thinking that even if the biopsy is normal I should cut gluten because my screening lab wouldn’t probably be high unless I was at least sensitive to gluten. 

[trents]

Snoopy23456, welcome to the forum!

The symptoms you describe suggest you may have either celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). They share many of the same symptoms but there is no definitive test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out. However, if you were largely avoiding gluten for some weeks because of the discomfort it was causing you, you may have invalidated your antibody blood tests.

The Gliadin Deaminated Antibody IgA is considered a secondary test for celiac disease because it is not particularly specific. Other things can cause it to be high.

[Snoopy23456]

1 hour ago, trents said:

Snoopy23456, welcome to the forum!

The symptoms you describe suggest you may have either celiac disease or NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). They share many of the same symptoms but there is no definitive test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out. However, if you were largely avoiding gluten for some weeks because of the discomfort it was causing you, you may have invalidated your antibody blood tests.

The Gliadin Deaminated Antibody IgA is considered a secondary test for celiac disease because it is not particularly specific. Other things can cause it to be high.

Thank you so much for your reply! Do you know what else could cause it to be high? 

[trents]

Rheumatoid arthritis for one. But I was wrong in my earlier statement. Actually GDP-IGA has a 97% specificity for celiac disease. What it lacks is sensitivity at only 85%. I looked it up. So, if it rings up a positive, the chances are very, very high you have celiac disease. https://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/path_handbook/rhandbook/test3227.html

[Snoopy23456]

1 hour ago, trents said:

Rheumatoid arthritis for one. But I was wrong in my earlier statement. Actually GDP-IGA has a 97% specificity for celiac disease. What it lacks is sensitivity at only 85%. I looked it up. So, if it rings up a positive, the chances are very, very high you have celiac disease. https://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/path_handbook/rhandbook/test3227.html

Thanks for sharing this!