Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com!
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Is 17 Months Too Young To Do Blood Test For Celiac?


Luvs to Scrap

Recommended Posts

Luvs to Scrap Apprentice

My husband tested positive last fall and my son who is almost 4 tested positive 2 weeks ago. Is it too early to test my 17 month old daughter. Our doctor didn't think my husband or son had it until we insisted on being tested. (my husband's grandma has celiac) I don't want to insist on testing if it is too early for the gluten antibodies to show anyway. My husband and both children appear to be thriving (both kids are top of growth chart) but have lots of loose stools. Just checking to see if anyone knew when the blood work would start to show up. Thanks for your help. Hoping daughter doesn't have it but suspect she does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



AndreaB Contributor

If you don't want to continue with the gluten filled diet with her you could always do the enterolab stool test. She is definately old enough for that. www.enterolab.com. I have read that a lot of tests are inconclusive before 5 yrs but don't know if that includes blood tests. If you suspect she has gluten intolerance or celiac and your insurance covers it it wouldn't hurt to get the blood test done. If it is negative you have the decision to have her go gluten free or have the enterolab tests done which can catch gluten intolerance before it gets bad...if she has mild symptoms or none for instance. My family didn't have any symptoms, just my allergy tests. 3 out of 4 of us have an active gluten intolerance. All the info is in the sig.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ursa Major Collaborator

No, 17 months is not too young for the test. It might even turn out accurate, and it may be positive. However, if it is negative, at this age it can very well be a false negative. In which case I would go with Enterolab if wanting a definite answer. Or just put the whole family on a gluten-free diet and see the whole gang thrive!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
VydorScope Proficient
My husband tested positive last fall and my son who is almost 4 tested positive 2 weeks ago. Is it too early to test my 17 month old daughter. Our doctor didn't think my husband or son had it until we insisted on being tested. (my husband's grandma has celiac) I don't want to insist on testing if it is too early for the gluten antibodies to show anyway. My husband and both children appear to be thriving (both kids are top of growth chart) but have lots of loose stools. Just checking to see if anyone knew when the blood work would start to show up. Thanks for your help. Hoping daughter doesn't have it but suspect she does.

Honestly? Theres no good answer to that "is it time to test yet" questoin. At 18mos my son tested postive, so at least my son's GI doctor does not think its too young. I would go ahead with the blood test (NOT the endscope! Just the blood test), and see what it says...

If its positve, well thats easy, gluten-free for him too.

If its negative, then there are three possiblities.

1) false negative he currently is suffereing, but the test was wrong

2) true negative - he is not currently suffering, but will when he gets older (celiac disease often does this)

3) true negative - he is not currently suffering, and never will.

See a negative leaves questions. If you get a negative you probably want to try him on a gluten-free diet for a while and see if you notice any changes. If you do you might want to consider a "gluten challange", which is where you out him back on gluten and see if symptons start to return/come out.

HTH

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
Luvs to Scrap Apprentice

Just wanted to let everyone know Kirsten and I took the blood test for celiac today. They couldn't locate a good vein so we got to wait while blood dripped from her big toe. She was not happy ;) ! Now we just have to wait for a week or 2 to know if it showed up. I'll let you know what we find out. If her bloodwork is negative is there a way to diagnose her later even if she has been eating gluten free? (Most of our meals at home are since we already have 2 celiacs in the house. Thanks! Kendra

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AndreaB Contributor

The only way to test her being gluten free is through enterolab and they can do the testing now with a stool sample. Click Open Original Shared Link for more info. Meanwhile we'll be waiting for you to post her results.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Luvs to Scrap Apprentice

I called the dr today and his nurse said that both Kirsten and I are fine. She didn't tell me the score but just that we don't have celiac according to the blood test. DH says we should just wait a couple years and try again. (He has done no research whatsoever about his condition and relies on me to maintain his gluten-free diet. ) We diagnosed DS last month and he is still having major D issues which is affecting potty training. I am not sure if I want to wait that long to find out if Kirsten has it. I think she has quite a bit of D for her age and also has bouts of constipation to go with it. What would you experts recommend? Should I put her on a gluten-free diet and see if she gets better and forget getting a diagnosis? Save up for a Enterolab test for her and wait to see what that says or just feed her normally until we try again later like my DH wants? I'd appreciate your imput. I am very frustrated because I was hoping we could just be done after this test.

Kendra

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



AndreaB Contributor

Kendra,

Personally, I'd scrounge up the money, save it whatever for the enterolab tests. If she is just towards the beginning of a gluten intolerance then her blood test numbers will not show it. If you have to wait another 1,2,3,4 etc. years before it shows in her blood, how much worse will she be. If you are ok going gluten free without the tests than do so. It certainly won't hurt. If you or your husband need proof of something from the doctors than you will have to wait until it presents itself in her blood work. Enterolab is a good company and a lot of people have had a good, positive experience with them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Luvs to Scrap Apprentice
Kendra,

Personally, I'd scrounge up the money, save it whatever for the enterolab tests. If she is just towards the beginning of a gluten intolerance then her blood test numbers will not show it. If you have to wait another 1,2,3,4 etc. years before it shows in her blood, how much worse will she be. If you are ok going gluten free without the tests than do so. It certainly won't hurt. If you or your husband need proof of something from the doctors than you will have to wait until it presents itself in her blood work. Enterolab is a good company and a lot of people have had a good, positive experience with them.

Andrea, I called our insurance company this morning and the lady I talked to had never heard of celiac. :blink: She of course said Enterolab was out of network, etc and wanted me to find out the billing procedure and diagnosis codes they use for their billing of labs. She couldn't find if that kind of testing was covered since it is so unusual and thought that would be the best way to check. Would you be able to look at your bill and let me know what the codes are? I am trying to talk my DH into doing the entire gluten panel on Kirsten but he only wants to if insurance covers it. At this point I don't care about coverage just want my daughter better. Thanks! Kendra

Link to comment
Share on other sites
AndreaB Contributor

Kendra,

Below I've copied the info from the email I received from enterolab. You would need to submit the billing to your insurance to be reimbursed as enterolab doesn't bill insurance companies. At least the codes can help you figure out how much insurance would cover. I included soy/egg/yeast just in case you are ever interested in those. This is for the whole panel and included the dairy at the time I ordered it....don't know if they are still offering the special on the dairy.

The ICD9 and CPT codes are necessary for submission for reimbursement to an insurance company.

ICD9 789.00

Tests Ordered:

1 : A) Gluten Sensitivity Stool and Gene Panel Complete *Best test/best value

* Itemized Costs and Insurance Codes:

-Anticasein IgA (CPT 83520) Cost: $0

-Quantitative fecal fat (CPT 82710) Cost: $70

-PCR Amplification (CPT 83898) Cost: $30

-DNA Isolation (CPT 83890) Cost: $30

-DNA Separation (CPT 83894) Cost: $30

-Probe Identification (CPT 83896) Cost: $30

-Molecular Identification and Interpretation (CPT 83912) Cost: $10

-Antigliadin IgA (CPT 83520) Cost: $99

-Antitissue transglutaminase IgA (CPT 83520) Cost: $70

2 : C) Egg, Yeast, and Soy Food Sensitivity Stool Panel

* Itemized Costs and Insurance Codes:

-Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae IgA (CPT 83520) Cost: $66

-Antiovalbumin IgA (CPT 83520) Cost: $66

-Anti-Soy IgA (CPT 83520) Cost: $67

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - Scott Adams replied to Nacina's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      1

      14 year old with Celiac & EOE still suffering...

    2. - Nacina posted a topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      1

      14 year old with Celiac & EOE still suffering...

    3. - trents replied to Fluka66's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Waiting for urgent referral.

    4. - Fluka66 replied to Fluka66's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Waiting for urgent referral.

    5. - Moodiefoodie replied to Moodiefoodie's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      9

      Joint swelling when ill even on gluten-free diet


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      121,064
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    abrooks91
    Newest Member
    abrooks91
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      120.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      It sounds like you've been through a lot with your son's health journey, and it's understandable that you're seeking answers and solutions. Given the complexity of his symptoms and medical history, it might be beneficial to explore a few avenues: Encourage your son to keep a detailed journal of his symptoms, including when they occur, their severity, any triggers or patterns, and how they impact his daily life. This information can be valuable during medical consultations and may help identify correlations or trends. Consider seeking opinions from specialized medical centers or academic hospitals that have multidisciplinary teams specializing in gastrointestinal disorders, especially those related to Celiac disease and Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE). These centers often have experts who deal with complex cases and can offer a comprehensive evaluation. Since you've already explored alternative medicine with a nutrition response doctor and a gut detox diet, you may want to consider consulting a functional medicine practitioner. They take a holistic approach to health, looking at underlying causes and imbalances that may contribute to symptoms. Given his low vitamin D levels and other nutritional markers, a thorough nutritional assessment by a registered dietitian or nutritionist specializing in gastrointestinal health could provide insights into any deficiencies or dietary adjustments that might help alleviate symptoms. In addition to routine tests, consider asking about more specialized tests that may not be part of standard screenings. These could include comprehensive stool analyses, food intolerance testing, allergy panels, or advanced imaging studies to assess gut health.
    • Nacina
      Hello, I am a 45 year old mom, who was diagnosed at 29 with Celiac. My now 14 year old son was diagnosed just before his 4th birthday. Needless to say, we are old pros with the diet. He was experiencing some issues, overall health took a major plummet a year ago, and through a bit of work, was diagnosed with EOE. Tried diet alone, but his follow up endoscopy didn't show the improvements his DR. wanted to see, so I tried the medication. (Steroid). He became extremely backed up, and they had him taking Miralax daily. His health plummeted. He is a straight A honor's 8th grader who plays club soccer very competitively. His health continued to decline and at 13 had a colonoscopy and another upper gi. (He was still compacted even with the prep). I finally pulled him off all meds and mira lax, after reading much negative literature online, and put him on a gut detox diet and took him to a nutrition response dr. Finally things have improved. However...over a year later and he is having relapse stomach pain, debilitating stomach pain. Missing a day of school a week, to three this week. This is where we downward spiral with him. He says it doesn't feel the same as when he has gotten backed up before. He is eating prunes, taking his supplements, drinking water...all of the things. Yet, he is feeling horrible. Pain is abdomen, headache, lethargy, diarrhea . He is on a strict gluten dairy, egg free diet. He has adapted well in regards to diet. But I feel like we are missing something here. He is too active, too outgoing to be feeling sick all of the time. His Bilirubin is constantly high. His white blood count always runs slightly low. His vitamin D was very low last time he ran tests, (last month) when he was sick for a week. His celiac markers show negative, so it isn't that. His last endoscopy showed no Eosinaphils in his esophagus.  I have taken him to multiple Ped. Gastro specialists. They run tests, and we get zero answers. I meticulously go through labs, hoping to make some sense and maybe catch something. Any thoughts or ideas would greatly be appreciated. 
    • trents
      But if you have been off of wheat for a period of weeks/months leading up to the testing it will likely turn out to be negative for celiac disease, even if you actually have celiac disease. Given your symptoms when consuming gluten, we certainly understand your reluctance to undergo  the "gluten challenge" before testing but you need to understand that the testing may be a waste of time if you don't. What are you going to do if it is negative for celiac disease? Are you going to go back to merrily eating wheat/barley/rye products while living in pain and destroying your health? You will be in a conundrum. Do I or do I not? And you will likely have a difficult time being consistent with your diet. Celiac disease causes inflammation to the small bowel villous lining when gluten containing grains are consumed. This inflammation produces certain antibodies that can be detected in the blood after they reach a certain level, which takes weeks or months after the onset of the disease. If gluten is stopped or drastically reduced, the inflammation begins to decrease and so do the antibodies. Before long, their low levels are not detectable by testing and the antibody blood tests done for diagnosing celiac disease will be negative. Over time, this inflammation wears down the billions of microscopic, finger-like projections that make up the lining and form the nutrient absorbing layer of the small bowel where all the nutrition in our food is absorbed. As the villi bet worn down, vitamin and mineral deficiencies typically develop because absorption is compromised. An endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining to microscopically examine this damage is usually the second stage of celiac disease diagnosis. However, when people cut out gluten or cut back on it significantly ahead of time before the biopsy is done, the villous lining has already experienced some healing and the microscopic examination may be negative or inconclusive. I'm not trying to tell you what to do I just want you to understand what the consequences of going gluten free ahead of testing are as far as test results go so that you will either not waste your time in having the tests done or will be prepared for negative test results and the impact that will have on your dietary decisions. And, who are these "consultants" you keep talking about and what are their qualifications? You are in the unenviable position that many who joint this forum have found themselves in. Namely, having begun a gluten free diet before getting a proper diagnosis but unwilling to enter into the gluten challenge for valid testing because of the severity of the symptoms it would cause them.
    • Fluka66
      Thank you very much for your reply. I hadn't heard of celiac disease but began to notice a pattern of pain. I've been on the floor more than once with agonising pain but this was always put down to another abdominal problem consequently I've been on a roundabout of backwards and forwards with another consultant for many years. I originally questioned this diagnosis but was assured it was the reason for my pain. Many years later the consultant gave up and I had a new GP. I started to cut out certain food types ,reading packets then really started to cut out wheat and went lactose free. After a month I reintroduced these in one meal and ended screaming in agony the tearing and bloating pain. With this info and a swollen lymph node in my neck I went back to the GP.  I have a referral now . I have also found out that acidic food is causing the terrible pain . My thoughts are this is irritating any ulcers. I'm hoping that after a decade the outlook isn't all bad. My blood test came back with a high marker but I didn't catch what it was. My GP and I have agreed that I won't go back on wheat just for the test due to the pain , my swollen lymph node and blood test results.  Trying to remain calm for the referral and perhaps needed to be more forceful all those years ago but I'm not assertive and consultants can be overwhelming. Many thanks for your reply . Wishing you all the best.
    • Moodiefoodie
      Wow! Fascinating info. Thanks so much! I really appreciate the guidance. @Spacepanther Over the years I have had rheumatologists do full lab work ups on me. They told me they had screened me for arthritis, lupus, and Lyme disease (all negative). In addition to joint pain and stiffness I had swelling in both knees that later moved to my elbow as well.  I also experience stiffness and pain in my neck and shoulders when it flares. I vomited fairly often growing up, but there wasn’t a real pattern to it and I didn’t know it wasn’t normal (thought people caught stomach viruses often).  I don’t usually have stomach symptoms immediately after eating gluten that I notice.  The only other joint condition I know of is fibromyalgia. Good luck! Hope you can get it figured out. I only assumed my joint symptoms were due to the celiac’s because it is under control for the most part on a gluten-free diet.  The rheumatologist also mentioned that some inflammatory/autoimmune diseases can be slow-moving and not detectable until they progress.
×
×
  • Create New...