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Positive Ttg Negative Gliadins . . .?

Helena

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Helena Contributor
Helena
Posted

Everyone has been so helpful here--I really appreciate it! I have some more questions for you guys.

#1 I had an appointment today with my respirologist who referred me to the GI specialist (in the same hospital). . . so I managed to get my test results (the GI specialist just said that one was positive and one was negative).

I tested negative to all the anti-gliadin antibodies

BUT positive to tTG

My interpretation from what I've been reading online is: that the tTG is a pretty definitive test for celiac. (the tTG is the most definitive, right???) the anti-gliadin was probably negative because I was off gluten for so long. is the tTG more likely to be positive even if one is off gluten?? comments, anyone?

#2 question re: barley vs. oats. I can't eat wheat at all---tested positive for wheat allergy. I don't think it would kill me or anything if I ate it, but my allergist wouldn't put my immune system past it :lol: (laughing at my own joke here . . .) Haven't tested allergic for rye but I think I am allergic.

That leaves me oats and barley . . . Oddly enough, I find that my GI symptoms are more pronounced when I eat *oats* + I *think* oats make me feel a bit more tired. And oats is supposed to have only a residual amount of gluten right? If I have celiac shouldn't barley be worse??? Wheat *definitely* makes me feel tired. (the other issue here: oats, barley, rye are contaminated with wheat so my reaction could be because of wheat allergy.)

So my question is (for people who are diagnosed with celiac but perhaps aren't quite as sensitive to gluten as some): can people react differently to gluten from different sources? Or is it the same reaction for any type of gluten?

Actually, one other question:

I know that not being on gluten messes up the blood test results. But it just makes it likely that there will be false negatives, right? It doesn't make false positives more likely, does it?

Is having a positive test for tTG antibodies indicative of any other medical condition other than celiac? Well, I think that pretty much deals with the questions that have occurred to me today :)

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AndreaB Contributor
AndreaB
Posted

I'm just going to address the oats and barley as that is what I'm familiar with. I tested allergic to wheat/gluten/gliadin/spelt and rye as far as grains. Don't remember if there was anything else but don't think so. I am not allergic to oats and barley. I dropped the ones I was allergic to immediately. I don't have obvious reactions to things but when I went gluten light I would get tummy aches when I ate oats (granola) using rice dream milk which has a barley enzyme. My infant son's eczema cleared most of the way up. I got tested through enterolab and found that I was intolerant to gluten. I then dropped the gluten light that I had been eating, so totally gluten free, and my son's eczema cleared the rest of the way up.

Barley should not be eaten gluten free and most people can't tolerate even the gluten free oats (as in not contaminated). Do not eat oats unless you can get the gluten free ones, they are more expensive of course. If oats already give you trouble, don't eat them at all.

Go to Open Original Shared Link to read up more about the ttg. People on the board will also know more about it than I do. I do know it has to do with an autoimmune reaction that has been activated in the body.

I'll be curious and watching other posts. Most of what I have gleaned has been on this site. :)

Helena Contributor
Helena
Posted
  • Author

Hi Andrea,

That's interesting that you're allergic to wheat too. I wonder how common it is to have one's immune system attacking wheat from all different directions (celiac and allergies involve different parts of the immune system). Sounds like you are very sensitive to trace amounts of gluten!! I don't react to unflavoured, unfortified rice milk (even though it does have small amounts of barley.) Of course, when I go on the gluten-free diet ( after the biopsy) I'll be sure to avoid it.

I did find some more info. on tTG (looked it up in Wikipedia and some other internet sources)

Tissue transglutaminase plays a role in tissue healing + in other things (which I don't quite get). So I take it that people with celiac have antibodies that attack tTG when gluten is a part of the diet. (that's my guess anyways).

One source I found suggested that some people with celiac have anti tTG even on a gluten-free diet.

so since I do have tTG antibodies, I would imagine it means something since people normally don't have them.

The test is fairly accurate if positive. . . one article I read suggested 90% (if negative though I think it has a greater chance of being wrong). But false positives are possible.

I'd be interested to know though whether anyone out there reacts a lot to some gluten-containing grains and less to others . . . or whether gluten is gluten.

AndreaB Contributor
AndreaB
Posted

Helena,

That's interesting. Thanks for the research.

Hopefully others will jump in here. There are others on the board that have elevated ttg and would probably know more.

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