Celiac Testing

[josephprichard]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone could tell me what the reliability of the various gluten sensitivity tests is.

Here is the background on my situation. I have suffered from stomach problems for the past decade or so. I have been to several doctors and other than diagnosing my problem as Irritable Bowel Syndrome they have offered no useful advice or solutions. Recently a friend suggested that I get tested for gluten sensitivity, as my problems seem to match the symptoms of Celiac disease. At the time I lacked health insurance and was unable to see a doctor but as an experiment cut gluten out of my diet and after a week or so began to feel a little bit (a very little bit) better. A few months later I finally managed to see a doctor who ordered a Gliadin/Gluten Antibody Test, which came back positive. At this point I had been on a gluten free diet for several months but had made a point to eat some gluten the day before the test. After consulting with a gastroenterologist my doctor ordered a second test this time an Anti-Endomysial AB IGA. This was about a week and a half prior to the first test during which time I had gone back to a gluten free diet. When the results came back on the second test my doctor informed me that I was not gluten intolerant. I was told that the gastroenterologist had said that the first test was basically meaningless and that according to the second I was in the clear.

Here is my question(s). What is the accuracy of the Gliadin/Gluten Antibody Test versus the Anti-Endomysial AB IGA Test, and how much does the fact that I was already on a gluten-free diet affect the test results of both? Assuming that my diet did affect my test results, how long should I reintroduce gluten into my diet before getting retested and how much gluten do I need to have in my diet during this period?

I know this is a lot of questions but my doctor has been spectacularly unhelpful through all this (he didn't believe gluten sensitivity could even be tested until I showed him a book describing the tests) so any information people can give would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Joe

[tarnalberry]

being gluten free may very well have given you a false negative. you would need to eat plenty of gluten for ... I think many people suggest 6-8 weeks... before the tests are done.