Help With My Daughter

[samsmom6602]

My 4 yr. old daughter has been having stomach pains for awhile. Her doctor gave me a referral to see a pediatric gastro. doctor. When I went to the doctor I told him to do the blood test for Celiac disease even though he didin't think she has it. Well, her IGA was low a 15. He now wants to do an Endoscopy to confirm that she does have Celiac's. I told him that I wanted to change her diet, before I would put her under anastesia. He disagrees..

I also read that the blood levels have to be elevated to be Celiac's not low? Any help would be really apprecitaed.

Thanks,

Jennifer

[Lisa]

My 4 yr. old daughter has been having stomach pains for awhile. Her doctor gave me a referral to see a pediatric gastro. doctor. When I went to the doctor I told him to do the blood test for Celiac disease even though he didin't think she has it. Well, her IGA was low a 15. He now wants to do an Endoscopy to confirm that she does have Celiac's. I told him that I wanted to change her diet, before I would put her under anastesia. He disagrees..

I also read that the blood levels have to be elevated to be Celiac's not low? Any help would be really apprecitaed.

Thanks,

Jennifer

Jennifer:

I am not a mom with a Celiac child, but you need to know that an endoscopy exam will not necessarily rule in Celiac, but it can be used to determine the amount of damage. Biopsys can miss and the viewing is not always reliable. If you choose to do the endo, insist on 8 - l0 samples to be biopsied (it is painless).

I am not familiar to numbers and I should not comment. I am sure that other mother will be here soon and add their impute.

Just remember, that you are hiring your doctor. Often a good gut reaction is the best choice.

[happygirl]

She needs the full celiac panel run....find out what tests were run, what the score was, and what the reference range is.

Serologic panel

Of the commercially available serologic tests that aid in the diagnosis of celiac disease, no one test is ideal. Using multiple serologies increases the diagnostic yield. Therefore, in the United States, screening in patients with possible celiac disease should consist of a panel of the following serologic tests:

Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) both IgA and IgG

Anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA) - IgA

Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) - IgA

Total IgA level.

also---just an FYI: generally, the endoscopy is NOT done under full general anasthethia (sp?). Instead, they give you "sedation" which still knocks ya out, but for much shorter time, less side effects, less risk, etc. You can do a google search on it, or talk to the nurse about the difference, etc. I have had multiple procedures, and their first choice is ALWAYS to do some form of sedation.

[lsaph]

Jennifer,

Two of my daughters (ages 4 and 6) have just been diagnosed with celiac. The doctor told me they would be completely sedated, as opposed to an adult who is more or less put into a very relaxed state, during an endoscopy. Complete sedation is a worry for me. We've switched to gluten free based on the blood tests alone. There is a lot of information to be learned and this website, as well as others, offers insights and experiences of many people. Best of luck. Lisa

[nikki-uk]

Well, her IGA was low a 15. He now wants to do an Endoscopy to confirm that she does have Celiac's.

Your doc probably means that her IgA total serum was low which means she has a condition called IgA deficiency.

This means your daughter doesn't produce enough antibodies - and does not produce enough to get a 'positive' on the coeliac blood test.

In these cases the only way to definitely tell if it's celiac disease is the biopsy.

Of course, it's your choice if you go through with the endoscopy or just try her with the gluten-free diet.