Don't Understand My Test Results

[Anne AMP]

Does anyone know what this means? The IgG anti-gliadin antibodies ELISA was 10 and it says below 20 is negative and the IgA anti-gliadin antibodies ELISA was 50 and it says above 30 is moderate to strong positive. The IgG ELISA standard food assay was negative for wheat. My doctor breezed through the resalts and I did not see these opposite results until I got home.

[LisaJ]

IgA are your main type of antibodies in your digestive tract. So if you are having a reaction in your digestive system, it makes sense that your IgA would be positive. Only my IgA was positive too, not my IgG. They also test IgG because it's common for Celiacs to be IgA deficient, which could give a false negative. Does that make sense??

[LisaJ]

Ok, so my husband just read my post and said it makes no sense to him-

I work in a lab that does these tests, but apparently I'm not very good at explaining things - hopefully someone else can help you if my answer didn't make sense

[Anne AMP]

Are IgG and IgA two different things? One is anti-bodies and the other is ?

[LisaJ]

They are both antibodies, just different types. People have 5 different types of antibodies, and IgA is the most abundant one in your digestive tract. So if your anti-gliadin IgA is positive, you are having an immune response to gliadin (a protein in gluten). Did your doctor recommend a biopsy or gluten free diet??

[Anne AMP]

I stopped all gluten August 26 th and this blood draw was November 20 th. Could that explain IgG negative?

[LisaJ]

Yes, you want your antibodies to eventually turn to normal range (negative) after being on a gluten free diet.

[Anne AMP]

Thanks Lisa !

[Anne AMP]

Thanks Lisa!

[Guest Villanfam]

Here is some info on Anti-gliadin antibodies

https://www.celiac.com/st_prod.html?p_prodid=58

Anti-Gliadin Antibodies:

Both IgA and IgG anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) are detected in sera of patients with gluten sensitive enteropathy (celiac disease). IgG anti-gliadin antibodies are more sensitive but are less specific markers for disease compared with IgA class antibodies. IgA anti-gliadin antibodies are less sensitive but are more specific. In clinical trials, the IgA antibodies have a specificity of 97% but the sensitivity is only 71%. That means that, if a patient is IgA positive, there is a 97% probability that they have celiac disease. Conversely, if the patient is IgA negative, there is only a 71% probability that the patient is truly negative for celiac disease. Therefore, a positive result is a strong indication that the patient has the disease but a negative result does not necessarily mean that they don not have it. False positive results are rather uncommon but false negative results can occur. On the other hand, the IgG anti-gliadin antibodies are 91% specific and have an 87% sensitivity. This means that they will show positive results more readily but there is not as strong a correlation with celiac disease. It is less specific. Patients with other conditions but not afflicted with celiac disease will occasionally show positive results. IgG anti-gliadin antibodies are detectable in approximately 21% of patients with other gastrointestinal disorders. This test might yield false positive results but is less likely to yield false negative results.

A sensitive testing protocol includes testing for both IgA and IgG anti-gliadin antibodies since a significant portion of celiac patients (approx. 2-5%) are IgA deficient. This combined IgA and IgG anti-gliadin antibody assay has an overall sensitivity of 95% with a specificity of 90%. The type of test used to detect the anti-gliadin antibodies is called an ELISA. This is an acronym and it stands for Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay. "ELISA" is not a test in itself. It is a method of testing and it is a relatively simple test to perform. It involves putting a measured amount of diluted patient serum into the wells of a specially constructed and prepared plate and incubating it for a period of time with various chemicals. The end result is a color change, the intensity of which is dependent upon the concentration of anti-gliadin antibody (or other protein being measured) in the patient serum. The ability of this colored solution to absorb light at a particular wavelength can be measured on a laboratory instrument and mathematically compared with solutions that contain a known amount of anti-gliadin antibody to arrive at a number for the amount of antibody present. The sample can then be classified as negative, (0-20 units); weak positive, (21-30 units); or moderate to strong positive if greater than 30 units. The purpose of testing for anti-gliadin antibodies includes, in addition to diagnosis of gluten sensitive enteropathy, monitoring for compliance to a gluten free diet. IgA gliadin antibodies increase rapidly in response to gluten in the diet and decrease rapidly when gluten is absent from the diet. The IgA anti-gliadin antibodies can totally disappear in 2-6 months on a gluten free diet, so they are useful as a diet control. By contrast, IgG anti-gliadin antibodies need a long time, sometimes more than a year, to become negative. The reverse is also true. That is, a patient with celiac disease who has been on a gluten free diet and tests negative for IgA anti-gliadin antibodies, will show a rapid increase in antibody production when challenged by gluten in the diet. Approximately 90% of challenged patients will yield a positive IgA anti-gliadin result within 14-35 days after being challenged. The IgG antibodies are somewhat slower.

[Anne AMP]

Now I am confused. My IgG should have been positive and IgA negative. Maybe I do not have Celiac Disease. But when I eat gluten I have terrible symptoms - headache, stomach pain, diarrhea, joint pain, etc.

[Guest Villanfam]

From what I've read, if you have elevated IgA you have a 97% chance of having celiac disease. If you google "high IgA antibodies" you will find a lots of info. on what else it could be if it's not celiac disease.

Hope this helps,

Courtney

[LisaJ]

Wow - that's what I meant to say, Villanfam just said it much better than I ever could explain it! I have biopsy confirmed Celiac Disease, and only my IgA was positive, not my IgG. Don't know why, but my doc says that happens sometimes.

[Guest Villanfam]

Also, if your IgG and IgA levels dropped after going gluten free (for some it takes longer then others) and you accidentally got glutenated right before your test your IgA would be elevated and not you IgG (it would take much longer)

Do you know if you accidentally got glutenated before your test?

[Anne AMP]

Thanks Courtney and Lisa. I'll check out other possiblilities. I didn't have a biopsy because they said I had been gluten free and it may not show anything. My gp doctor didn't think it would be of any value. I certainly am not ready to start eating gluten to get biopsy results! I do have problems with other foods - dairy, eggs, soy, corn, sugar, rice and some other vegetable alleries that I test IgG positive to. I plan to wait for a year like the doctor told me before I try to re-introduce these foods. It is quite the challange. I wish there was a more knowledge and a cure for all of us.

[Anne AMP]

Courtney,

I guess there is a possibility that I was glutened before the test. The only food I had been eating at that time was home cooked oganic no spices or sauces. Pretty much bland chicken, beef, and salmon and only beets and beet greens and butternut squash, blueberries, and pears - all cooked. I had been trying new vitamins about that time, so maybe that was it. I am new to this and should keep a written record so I know when I eat something I shouldn't.

[Guest Villanfam]

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IgA. High levels of IgA may indicate IgA multiple myeloma. Levels of IgA also increase in some autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and in liver diseases, such as cirrhosis and long-term (chronic) hepatitis.

Personally, I think I'd rather have celiac disease

Multiple myeloma= Multiple myeloma (plasma cell neoplasm) is a rare type of cancer that results in the uncontrolled production of one type of white blood cell (plasma cell) in the bone marrow. The cancer cells can crowd out normal blood cells, causing a reduction in red blood cells (anemia).

The overproduction of plasma cells causes an increase in antibodies. The plasma cells also may cause the bone to break down. The plasma cells can collect in the bone to make small tumors called plasmacytomas.

The most common symptoms of multiple myeloma include night sweats, weight loss, weakness, fatigue, bone pain, pneumonia, numbness, paralysis, or kidney failure. If the bones of the spine are involved, they may collapse, causing spinal cord compression.

The exact cause of multiple myeloma is not known. It is slightly more common in men than in women and is usually diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 70. The disease is very rare before the age of 40.

Multiple myeloma is usually treated with chemotherapy to reduce the numbers of abnormal plasma cells, antibiotics to help fight infection, and pain medication. Radiation therapy may be used to treat bone masses.

Autoimmume Diseases= The immune system is the body's defense against foreign substances, such as bacteria or viruses, that may be harmful. An autoimmune disease is an abnormal condition that occurs when a person's immune system attacks its own tissues as though they were foreign substances.

* Normally, when a foreign substance enters the body, the immune system creates special cells to attack and destroy the foreign substance. These cells include antibodies and white blood cells (lymphocytes).

* In a person with an autoimmune disease, the immune system recognizes some of the person's own tissues as foreign substances. The body makes antibodies and other cells that attack and destroy these tissues. This process often leads to inflammation and eventually, if it continues, scarring and destruction of the organs that are made up of those tissues.

Why the body attacks its own cells is not known. Autoimmune diseases include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and Sj

[Anne AMP]

Yes I would rather have Celiac Disease! I can't believe I'm saying that!