Enterolab Vs Blood Test/biopsy

[Ottonegirl]

I'm so new to all this & have read tons of posts & am still not sure what I'm looking at here. Entereloab tests for the gluten gene - right? Do they test for antibodies? The blood tests look for anti-bodies. But, if you haven't been back on gluten long enough then you might not get a + because you won't have anti-bodies. Is this correct?

Does everyone with the gene actually have symptoms/the disease?

Thanks again,

[Nancym]

On the Enterolab web site there's an FAQ and an essay you should read.

If you get the entire celiac panel done it tests for antibodies in the stool as well as genes. The blood tests are not as sensitive and often return negative results for people who later adopt a gluten-free diet and find themselves responding to it. But on the other hand, MD's don't really trust Enterolab's results for the most part. He finds a LOT more gluten sensitive people than mainstream medicine.

Personally, I think there's little value to having an official diagnosis since it all comes down to following a gluten-free diet and you don't need a doctor to do that. The only reason I had Enterolab test me was curiosity and I thought maybe with genetics and diagnosis in hand I could convince my siblings to look for this in themselves. But they were uninterested.

[CarlaB]

If it were me, if I were off gluten, I'd go for Enterolab. If I were still eating gluten, I would go for a blood test, keeping in mind there are a lot of false negatives. If it were negative, I'd try Enterolab and see what my dietary response was.

I would not to a gluten challenge as they are too long and can do too much damage. None of us are guaranteed to heal completely, so deliberately eating gluten when you know you are sensitive to it is a bad idea.

Not everyone with the gene develops the active disease.

Enterolab tests both for the genes and for the antibodies. Their antibody test is more sensitive than the blood test, so they will pick up and intolerace before it gets into your blood ... it will also pick up non-celiac gluten intolerance, whereas the blood test usually will not.

[Nevadan]

On the Enterolab web site there's an FAQ and an essay you should read.

If you get the entire celiac panel done it tests for antibodies in the stool as well as genes. The blood tests are not as sensitive and often return negative results for people who later adopt a gluten-free diet and find themselves responding to it. But on the other hand, MD's don't really trust Enterolab's results for the most part. He finds a LOT more gluten sensitive people than mainstream medicine.

Personally, I think there's little value to having an official diagnosis since it all comes down to following a gluten-free diet and you don't need a doctor to do that. The only reason I had Enterolab test me was curiosity and I thought maybe with genetics and diagnosis in hand I could convince my siblings to look for this in themselves. But they were uninterested.

I think Nancym's last paragraph is an excellent recommendation. I also followed her same path for the same reasons and unfortunately encountered the same lack of interest from other family members - pretty common I hear.

[AndreaB]

If you are still eating gluten (doesn't sound like you are), then definately get a blood test. If you are gluten free and want some more definative answers get enterolab's full panel for $369.

I got my whole family tested and we tested on the low side (I had been gluten lite and the rest of the family had just been finishing up things we still had in the house). My husband has 2 celiac genes but not the active sensitivity. He's also gluten free though.

I like enterolab because they can catch gluten sensitivity before a lot of damage is done, or for those that don't have the celiac gene, they can tell you whether you have a sensitivity. I also like the gene test and will be checking into getting that with my last child since he won't be eating gluten. He started us on our quest for answers and was intolerant just by his reactions.

[Ottonegirl]

Thanks everyone - I'm beginning to get a handle on this. I'm thinking going Entero lab sounds like the best for my family. My daughter has been biopsied & got a negative result - she'd only been back on gluten for 5 weeks when she had the biopsy. I know her GI doc won't run the blood tests & therefore, her pediatrician won't either. I've already been diagnosed with Irritible Bowel & have been on & off gluten so much over the past 6 years that I'm not sure the bloodwork would show anything. I do know that I'm allergic to wheat & milk... just need to find out about all gluten. It would definitely be worth it. Then based on what we find, we'll decide whether to test the rest of the family. I'm pretty certain that everyone is having issues just not as severe as my daughter's & mine.

Thanks again for the info & encouragement.