Doc says I have celiac, despite no GI symptoms?

[nanaimobar]

I had some bloody stools (like bright red ones, not dark red as intestinal damage would cause) and fatigue earlier this year, so my family doctor did a blood test.

My anti-tissue transglutaminase level was over double at 37,3 kU/L (normal range is 0,0-14,9). Due to the bowel issues, joint pain, and eczema between my fingers, she seems quite certain I have celiac disease. I also was diagnosed with possible psoriatic arthritis (autoimmune) a year ago but I haven't had any flare ups lately and assumed that was the cause of joint pain, as well as some swelling in my toes. 

I don't really have any other symptoms so I'm not sure how to proceed, as the wait to see a specialist is like six months. Is there any other way to ascertain if I'm celiac?

 

[Scott Adams]

Many people with celiac disease don't have symptoms, so your doctor is correct to make this diagnosis based on your results. Did they refer you to get an endoscopy to confirm this? If so, you need to continue eating gluten until all tests are completed, otherwise you might get false-negative results.

This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.

 

 

[trents]

Bright blood in the stool would indicate bleeding down at the lower end in the colorectal area as opposed to the small bowel below the stomach where celiac manifests damage to the villous lining. Are these blood stools persistent? It's not unusual for this to happen once in a while to most anyone when a small surface vessel breaks, kind of like a nose bleed.

As Scott Adams said, you must continue to consume regular amounts of gluten if the specialist will be doing additional testing for celiac disease, which could include an endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining.

[Suzi374]

I hope they are doing a colonoscopy unless they are sure you have haemorrhoids