Blood Test

[Lindsay GFMom]

I appreciate (so much!) the feedback I've gotten on my earlier post. I made my husband just sit down and read it all.

We have not decided whether or not to do a Celiac blood test for our 4.5yo. (You'll recall that he has gluten & dairy intolerance as well as a gluten sensitive gene and the Celiac gene, per the Enterolab test.) I think I want to call my doctor tomorrow and ask some questions.

I was told by a friend that the standard blood tests used in doctors offices are not very accurate for Celiac and that I should insist on a particular test. She didn't tell me what it's called, only said that Prometheus Lab is the place to send it.

Can anyone explain to me the difference in blood tests and the name of the test I want to ask about? I'd like to ask our doctor if he uses the test and whether he would be willing to send it to Prometheus.

[rez]

I appreciate (so much!) the feedback I've gotten on my earlier post. I made my husband just sit down and read it all.

We have not decided whether or not to do a Celiac blood test for our 4.5yo. (You'll recall that he has gluten & dairy intolerance as well as a gluten sensitive gene and the Celiac gene, per the Enterolab test.) I think I want to call my doctor tomorrow and ask some questions.

I was told by a friend that the standard blood tests used in doctors offices are not very accurate for Celiac and that I should insist on a particular test. She didn't tell me what it's called, only said that Prometheus Lab is the place to send it.

Can anyone explain to me the difference in blood tests and the name of the test I want to ask about? I'd like to ask our doctor if he uses the test and whether he would be willing to send it to Prometheus.

The tests they usually use to screen for Celiac are the tTG and total IgA. They usually always send these to either Prometheus or Mayo. Other tests to include on the screen are the EMA and AGA, antigliadin Igg and Iga. Good luck. Not sure if you got my email regarding the genes of your son. But you may want to look a little closer. According to what I saw I think he does not have a Celiac gene and unfortunately in the medical community they will tell you he could never have Celiac. They are still researching this, but right now the thought is you need to have those genes to have full blown Celiac. I strongly believe in gluten intolerance, which might best describe your little guy. I could be wrong, but check out his genes again. I think his genes were DQ1 and DQ3. Again, I'm not sure how accurate Enterolab is for gene testing, but that's what I got from your post. You could even give Enterolab a call. Good luck!

[rez]

Again, I'm not sure how to read the Enterolab results. It says DQ 1,3 (subtype 6,8). I'm not sure which numbers go directly with the DQ. Is it the 1, 3, 6, or 8? My son's genetics were DQ 2,2 (subtype 2,2) so I knew it was a two. I apologize if I misread the results, but they seem confusing. I would give them a call. Good luck again!

[rez]

Good luck. I think I read the results wrong. Hope you have good luck w/ your doc! :)

[Lindsay GFMom]

Again, I'm not sure how to read the Enterolab results. It says DQ 1,3 (subtype 6,8). I'm not sure which numbers go directly with the DQ. Is it the 1, 3, 6, or 8? My son's genetics were DQ 2,2 (subtype 2,2) so I knew it was a two. I apologize if I misread the results, but they seem confusing. I would give them a call. Good luck again!

I don't understand the number line either, but it looks like the subtypes are what count. I'm mostly going by the interpretation which they included on the same paper. Here's what it said. I bolded the part about Celiac:

Serologic equivalent: HLA-DQ 3,1 (Subtype 8,6)

Interpretation Of HLA-DQ Testing: HLA gene analysis reveals that you have one of the main genes that predisposes to gluten sensitivity and celiac sprue, HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8. Each of your offspring has a 50% chance of receiving this gene from you, and at least one of your parents passed it to you. You also have a non-celiac gene predisposing to gluten sensitivity (DQ1 or DQ3 not subtype 8). Having one celiac gene and one gluten sensitive gene, means that each of your parents, and all of your children (if you have them) will possess at least one copy of a gluten sensitive gene. Having two copies also means there is an even stronger predisposition to gluten sensitivity than having one gene and the resultant immunologic gluten sensitivity or celiac disease may be more severe.

Thanks for the blood test info. I'm calling this morning.