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How Much Is Genetic Testing And Where To Get It?

janelyb

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janelyb Enthusiast
janelyb
Posted

I would like my son and myself to get genetic testing but apparently my son's doctors are not infavor of getting it done because it is an expensive test and our healthplan may not cover it.

I would like to get the least invasive testing done like a cheek swab.

Does anyone know what reliable company to go through and how much?

Anyone know if Blue Shield HMO covers celiac genetics testing?

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Rachel--24 Collaborator
Rachel--24
Posted

Enterolab does gene testing. Its about $150....I dont think insurance would cover any of it but I think the price is pretty reasonable.

Enterolab is the only lab which also tests for "sensitivity" genes. These are Non-Celiac genes. Personally, I dont find these genes to be very diagnostic. Basically almost the entire poulation will have these genes in some combination....unless you are of Asian decent.

If you get gene tested using Enterolab you will end up with one of these possibilties...

1. One Celiac gene and one Gluten sensitive gene.

2. Two Celiac genes.

3. Two gluten sensitive genes.

Its pretty much guaranteed you'll have one of these combinations. I dont put much stock into the "sensitivity" genes. No other lab recognizes these genes as being associated with gluten intolerance.

Having a Celiac gene would mean that you have a predisposition for Celiac. The gene test itself cannot diagnose Celiac Disease....it can only tell you whether or not you have a genetic predispostion for it.

Hope this helps. :)

Nantzie Collaborator
Nantzie
Posted

Enterolab. They send their genetics to Laboratories at Bonfils, which is an immunogenetics lab that does matching for transplants, etc. They've been around since the 1970s.

When I was deciding whether or not to go through Enterolab, I really researched the genetics aspect. I wanted to make sure that whoever was doing the genetic testing was reliable and knew what they were doing. I was able to find out that Labs at Bonfils has done work for a study done by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). If that's not official, I don't know what would be. ;)

Then I emailed Labs at Bonfils to make sure they actually did work with Enterolab. They confirmed that they do the genetic testing for Enterolab.

Enterolab will test for all the gluten sensitive genes, which most people have. It can be really useful to know what genes you're dealing with - if you're dealing with a gluten intolerance, or whether you're dealing with classic celiac that just hasn't shown up on tests.

One of the main reasons I did genetic testing was because my husband thought I had finally gone off the deep end. I needed SOMETHING so that he would just leave me alone about it. :rolleyes: It really helped in that regard.

www.enterolab.com

Nancy

janelyb Enthusiast
janelyb
Posted
  • Author
Enterolab. They send their genetics to Laboratories at Bonfils, which is an immunogenetics lab that does matching for transplants, etc. They've been around since the 1970s.

When I was deciding whether or not to go through Enterolab, I really researched the genetics aspect. I wanted to make sure that whoever was doing the genetic testing was reliable and knew what they were doing. I was able to find out that Labs at Bonfils has done work for a study done by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). If that's not official, I don't know what would be. ;)

Then I emailed Labs at Bonfils to make sure they actually did work with Enterolab. They confirmed that they do the genetic testing for Enterolab.

Enterolab will test for all the gluten sensitive genes, which most people have. It can be really useful to know what genes you're dealing with - if you're dealing with a gluten intolerance, or whether you're dealing with classic celiac that just hasn't shown up on tests.

One of the main reasons I did genetic testing was because my husband thought I had finally gone off the deep end. I needed SOMETHING so that he would just leave me alone about it. :rolleyes: It really helped in that regard.

www.enterolab.com

Nancy

and you can do it while off gluten??? My son has been eating gluten-free for 7 weeks and myself for nearly 4 weeks.

Is the stool test better than a cheek swab? Does that lab even do a cheek swab test?

Nantzie Collaborator
Nantzie
Posted

You can be gluten-free and still be tested by Enterolab.

The genetic test is the cheek swab.

The stool test checks for antibodies in the stool. Some of the same antibodies that they look for in the blood, I believe. The theory that Dr. Fine is working with is that the antibodies are much easier to detect in the stool than in the blood, and they are detectable for longer (as long as six months according to them).

I did just the genetic test for myself, but did the genetic and the stool for my kids. The gene test will only tell you what genes you're dealing with. The stool test will tell you if there is an active gluten intolerance going on.

The stool test for JUST gluten is $99. The gene test is $149.

Nancy

janelyb Enthusiast
janelyb
Posted
  • Author
You can be gluten-free and still be tested by Enterolab.

The genetic test is the cheek swab.

The stool test checks for antibodies in the stool. Some of the same antibodies that they look for in the blood, I believe. The theory that Dr. Fine is working with is that the antibodies are much easier to detect in the stool than in the blood, and they are detectable for longer (as long as six months according to them).

I did just the genetic test for myself, but did the genetic and the stool for my kids. The gene test will only tell you what genes you're dealing with. The stool test will tell you if there is an active gluten intolerance going on.

The stool test for JUST gluten is $99. The gene test is $149.

Nancy

I can't find it on their site, the gene test that is...

Nantzie Collaborator
Nantzie
Posted

Here's the page Open Original Shared Link

It's the fifth one down under Individual Tests.

Nancy

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janelyb Enthusiast
janelyb
Posted
  • Author
Here's the page Open Original Shared Link

It's the fifth one down under Individual Tests.

Nancy

thanks...brain fart here I was scrolling right past it each time...LOL....now we shall see if hubby will allow us to test for $$$ reasons.

janelyb Enthusiast
janelyb
Posted
  • Author
Here's the page Open Original Shared Link

It's the fifth one down under Individual Tests.

Nancy

Alright I ordered the gene test for my son (without permission from hubby) but I'm sure he'll be ok with it. How long does it really take to get the results back? I'm only having them come to me, not to a doctor.

If his gene test comes back with celiac gene then I will get tested too.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

My gene test came back in 2 and 1/2 weeks. :)

Nantzie Collaborator
Nantzie
Posted

Same here. 2 1/2 weeks. All three times I did it. It must be the standard turn-around. I'm sure it depends on how many people are being tested though.

If you provided an email address, they email them to you.

Nancy

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