Low Iga?

[jdp364]

About a month and a half ago I was told by my GP that my celiac panel was "negative." Since then I have gone gluten free anyway and my gas/abdominal pain/constipation issues have generally been getting better.

Today I asked about the test result in a follow up appointment with a gastroenterologist. He told me that while he doesn't think I have celiac (because I don't have D), technically my test result was ambiguous because my overall IgA is "slightly low".

What does having low IgA signify? Is having low IgA in itself an indicator for celiac? Or does it simply mean, as the doctor suggested, that it may just raise some ambiguity about an otherwise negative panel?

(Fortunately the doctor offered to do an endoscopy just to make sure and I am taking him up on the offer.)

[ravenwoodglass]

A low IGA can result in a false negative. Have you tried the diet? There can be false negatives with the endoscopy also if the do not biopsy the right place in your 22 feet of small intestine. The truest test is your response to a strict gluten free diet that has been followed for a couple months. If you have any doubt at that point you could do a gluten challenge, that would tell you.

You could also choose Enterolab testing, many have been very pleased with them and much less trauma to your body.

[holiday16]

About a month and a half ago I was told by my GP that my celiac panel was "negative." Since then I have gone gluten free anyway and my gas/abdominal pain/constipation issues have generally been getting better.

Today I asked about the test result in a follow up appointment with a gastroenterologist. He told me that while he doesn't think I have celiac (because I don't have D), technically my test result was ambiguous because my overall IgA is "slightly low".

What does having low IgA signify? Is having low IgA in itself an indicator for celiac? Or does it simply mean, as the doctor suggested, that it may just raise some ambiguity about an otherwise negative panel?

(Fortunately the doctor offered to do an endoscopy just to make sure and I am taking him up on the offer.)

I'm considering asking to be tested for my overall IGA because I tested negative through blood test and barely positive via Enterolab, but my symptoms where horrible. I asked the NP that ordered the test and she said some people just have low IGA and the level has nothing to do with severity since some produce more and other less. I worry that other family members could have the same problem and would also affect their test results. It will be interesting to see if others have had this problem as well.

[jdp364]

I'm considering asking to be tested for my overall IGA because I tested negative through blood test and barely positive via Enterolab, but my symptoms where horrible. I asked the NP that ordered the test and she said some people just have low IGA and the level has nothing to do with severity since some produce more and other less. I worry that other family members could have the same problem and would also affect their test results. It will be interesting to see if others have had this problem as well.

I thought that total IgA was part of every celiac panel? In any event, you could still try getting an endoscopy to biopsy for celiac. Apparently the low total IgA does not affect a biopsy, which will show the celiac damage (if any) regardless of whether one's IgA level is low. All the low IgA does is reduce the amount of celiac-specific antibodies one would normally expect to find in the bloodwork if there was celiac damage. That's my layperson's understanding, at least.

Hopefully more knowledgeable low IgA folks will correct me if I'm wrong.