Please Help Clear Up "testing" Confusion!

[DaCat]

As recommended by my naturopath, I had some saliva testing (along with stool analysis) done by Diagnos-Techs because of chronic constipation, chronic fatigue etc. My SIgA Gliadin test came back positive @ 34. I have posted about this before, but now I am more confused. So, is this an indication of Celiacs or not? Or could it mean that I just have an intolerance or sensitivity to gluten? I want to KNOW whether or not I have Celiac Disease, but the more I read here about the "gold standard" biopsy that I've read about elsewhere, it doesn't sound like that's as reliable either. ????? I'm getting more and more confused. Please help me understand my test results. My naturopath doesn't think I have Celiac because he said that number (34) would have been higher and I would have shown a stronger reaction to wheat, gluten and gliadin on my food sensitivity test (blood test by US Biotek). Does that sound right?????

One thing I DO know is I have been off all dairy, casein, pork, beef & wheat for approx. 5 months, and within the last month I eliminated all gluten completely after much research on celiac disease. Within 2 days my nagging symptoms of fatigue and brain fog left, the pain my ears subsided and I had energy. I was a tad amazed! I tried purposely having gluten on 2 seperate occassions, and both times I felt negative effects. Last time was 1 week ago, and I have not fully recovered since.

I know most here would say just stay off gluten then, and I do plan to do that for now, but I want to KNOW if I have Celiac Disease. I am concerned for our 2 children, especialy my daughter who has had similar digestion problems (constipation). How can I know for sure? Any input about the test I already had done would be great, and any recommendations for further testing would be appreciated as well.

Also, are there any "reliable" tests that can be done while off gluten? I hate the thought of ingesting it again, but will if I have to. I just recently read the book "Celiac Disease A Hidden Epidemic", and according to that book, there isn't. The book also states that the biopsy is the best and most reliable test.

Thank you for your time. And for those who caught my previous post a few weeks ago, thanks for your time.............again!

God Bless,

~Shelly

[chrissy]

shelly----the most reliable test would be to have a total IgA serum and a TTG test run. the gliadin test could indicate celiac----but not necessarily, it could be raised by other conditions. you would have to be eating gluten to get accurate testing done. i'm not quite sure why a biopsy is considered the "gold standard". one of my daughters had a negative biopsy, but they were not looking for celiac. her twin sister's biopsies showed no damage, but it did show increased intraepithelial lymphocytes in one spot. my youngest celiac child did not have a biopsy. you could have gene testing done to see if you have either of the celiac genes. even though it does not happen very often, there are a few people that are biopsy proven celiacs and do not carry either of the celiac genes.