Is this IgA deficiency?

[nome11]

Hi, I'm hoping someone can help me with some recent test results.

I'm based in the UK and have been tested twice in the past year for coeliac, my IgA TTG results coming back as <1 which is a strong negative. However, a couple of months ago I stopped eating bread for weight loss reasons, and found my daily diarrhoea improved (not completely, but I was still eating pasta etc.) and overall I felt much better. That's when I found out about false negatives in people with IgA deficiency, and it turns out my GP surgery doesn't test for this.

So I asked and the doctor said he would check to give me peace of mind (I really appreciate that he did this because he wasn't even sure the lab would agree to the test).

Here are my results: IgA 0.57g/l (normal range 0.80 - 2.8)

IgG 6.9g/l (normal range 6.0 - 16.0)

IgM 1.43g/l (normal range 0.5 - 1.9)

Is this IgA low enough to have affected the IgA TTG? 

There is no diagnosed coeliac disease in my family, but I strongly suspect my mother has it due to a lifetime (including from early childhood) of constipation; she was diagnosed with auto-immune thyroidism 20+ years ago. She refuses to get tested for coeliac. My grandmother had PBC (a rare autoimmune liver disorder) which has a higher incidence of coeliac disease than the general population.

I have daily diarrhoea, bloating, cramps, low iron and vitamin D (despite supplements) and feel tired after eating gluten. Thanls so much of you've got this far.

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, noem11!

IgA 0.57g/l (normal range 0.80 - 2.8) - Is this the score for the IGA-tTG or the total serum IGA? It looks more like the IGA-tTG. Total serum IGA normal range is usually a much larger number, like over a hundred. But the lab may be using a different test protocol than I'm used to seeing? You seem to have left out one or the other in your first post.

You could also have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) for which there is not test. It is 10x more common than celiac disease and shares many of the same symptoms. Celiac disease must first be ruled out to arrive at an NCGS diagnosis.

[nome11]

Hi Trents,

Thanks for your reply; my IgA tTg was <1, the IgA 0.57g/l (normal range 0.8 - 2.8), along with the IgG and IgM results were listed as Immunoglobin agm profile, tested specifically after I asked the GP about IgA deficiency. Possibly the difference being I'm in the UK? A different NHS Trust to the one I'm in mentions the reference range https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/services/pathology/tests/immunoglobulins-igg-iga-igm/ which are slightly different to my trust's range, but the same protocol.

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, noem11!

IgA 0.57g/l (normal range 0.80 - 2.8) - Is this the score for the IGA-tTG or the total serum IGA? It looks more like the IGA-tTG. Total serum IGA normal range is usually a much larger number, like over a hundred. But the lab may be using a different test protocol than I'm used to seeing? You seem to have left out one or the other in your first post.

You could also have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) for which there is not test. It is 10x more common than celiac disease and shares many of the same symptoms. Celiac disease must first be ruled out to arrive at an NCGS diagnosis.

[trents]

11 minutes ago, nome11 said:

Hi Trents,

Thanks for your reply; my IgA tTg was <1, the IgA 0.57g/l (normal range 0.8 - 2.8), along with the IgG and IgM results were listed as Immunoglobin agm profile, tested specifically after I asked the GP about IgA deficiency. Possibly the difference being I'm in the UK? A different NHS Trust to the one I'm in mentions the reference range https://www.southtees.nhs.uk/services/pathology/tests/immunoglobulins-igg-iga-igm/ which are slightly different to my trust's range, but the same protocol.

Well, it does seem that your total serum IGA is low and that can generate negatives in the individual IGA scores, such as the IGA-tTG. There are other serum antibody tests that can be run for detecting celiac disease that were not run. The NIH is pretty inflexible in what tests they will pay for and the testing protocol they deploy is pretty minimal. Here is a primer that gives a more complete picture of celiac disease testing:

But regardless if you have celaic disease or NCGS the antidote is the same, total abstinence from gluten for life. Some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease. This would only be possible if you have the gene mutations for celiac disease. There is genetic testing that can be done for this.

[Wheatwacked]

Keep increasing your vitamin D dose until you feel it work,  get tested.  Hypervitaminosis D is actually rare.  Our bodies are set to maintain a 25 hydroxy vitamin D plasma level at 80 ng/ml (200 nmol/L).  It took about 6 years of 10,000 IU (250 mcg) daily for me to reach 80 ng/ml and it never has been above 86.  I continue to take it daily now since 2015.   

Quote

Ekwaru et al16 recently reported on more than 17,000 healthy adult volunteers participating in a preventative health program and taking varying doses of vitamin D up to 20,000 IU/d. These patients did not demonstrate any toxicity, and the blood level of 25(OH)D in those taking even 20,000 IU/d was less than 100 ng/mL.   https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(15)00244-X/pdf

 

Start taking choline supplements for your " daily diarrhoea, bloating, cramps".  It will help.

Any of the other Celiac Disease symptoms?