Enterolab Test Results...what Do They Mean?

[New Mama]

My 21-month old son wasn't really exhibiting any symptoms, but he showed up as sensitive to wheat and milk on a IgG test at the naturopath's office. Also, there are confirmed celiacs on both sides of the family and I'm convinced it runs rampant in my family, at least. And I did not have a period or ovulate at all from the age of about 12 on (we did IVF to have my son) which I now find out can be a symptom of celiac disease.

Anyway, I figured if my son is pre-disposed to having celiac or has silent celiac it would be better to find out while he's still young and symptom-free. I went with EnteroLab because I know that blood tests are inconclusive, and I figured a stool sample/cheek swab would be a lot less traumatic anyway.

His results are:

A) Gluten Sensitivity Stool and Gene Panel Complete *Best test/best value

Fecal Antigliadin IgA 249 (Normal Range

Fecal Antitissue Transglutaminase IgA 175 Units (Normal Range

Quantitative Microscopic Fecal Fat Score

Fecal anti-casein (cow's milk) IgA antibody 199 Units (Normal Range

HLA-DQB1 Molecular analysis, Allele 1 0301

HLA-DQB1 Molecular analysis, Allele 2 0602

Serologic equivalent: HLA-DQ 3,1 (Subtype 7,6)

Interpretation of Fecal Antigliadin IgA: Intestinal antigliadin IgA antibody was elevated, indicating that you have active dietary gluten sensitivity. For optimal health, resolution of symptoms (if you have them), and prevention of small intestinal damage and malnutrition, osteoporosis, and damage to other tissues (like nerves, brain, joints, muscles, thyroid, pancreas, other glands, skin, liver, spleen, among others), it is recommended that you follow a strict and permanent gluten free diet. As gluten sensitivity is a genetic syndrome, you may want to have your relatives screened as well.

Interpretation of Fecal Antitissue Transglutaminase IgA: You have an autoimmune reaction to the human enzyme tissue transglutaminase, secondary to dietary gluten sensitivity.

Interpretation of Quantitative Microscopic Fecal Fat Score: Provided that dietary fat is being ingested, a fecal fat score less than 300 indicates there is no malabsorbed dietary fat in stool indicating that digestion and absorption of nutrients is currently normal.

Interpretation of Fecal anti-casein (cow's milk) IgA antibody: Levels of fecal IgA antibody to a food antigen greater than or equal to 10 are indicative of an immune reaction, and hence immunologic "sensitivity" to that food. For any elevated fecal antibody level, it is recommended to remove that food from your diet. Values less than 10 indicate there currently is minimal or no reaction to that food and hence, no direct evidence of food sensitivity to that specific food. However, because 1 in 500 people cannot make IgA at all, and rarely, some people can still have clinically significant reactions to a food antigen despite the lack of a significant antibody reaction (because the reactions primarily involve T cells), if you have an immune syndrome or symptoms associated with food sensitivity, it is recommended that you try a strict removal of suspect foods from your diet for up to 12 months despite a negative test.

Interpretation Of HLA-DQ Testing: Although you do not possess the main genes predisposing to celiac sprue (HLA-DQ2 or HLA-DQ8), HLA gene analysis reveals that you have two copies of a gene that predisposes to gluten sensitivity (DQ1 or DQ3 not subtype 8). Having two copies of a 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 the gene. Two copies also means there is an even stronger predisposition to gluten sensitivity than having one gene and the resultant immunologic gluten sensitivity may be more severe.

So what does it mean that there is no number after the Fecal Fat score? And I guess I want to hear from others that this really means he's gluten intolerant as well as sensitive to all dairy. What exactly should I take away from this? I'm just a little overwhelmed, and any help interpreting these results would be helpful. TIA!

[Nancym]

Wow! Those are some of the highest scores I've ever seen!

You should ask Enterolab about the fecal fat score, that doesn't look right.

[New Mama]

  Nancym said:

Wow! Those are some of the highest scores I've ever seen!

I'm so...proud? lol

Anyone else?

[New Mama]

I hit "reply" on my e-mail and the fecal fat score (as well as the ranges for "normal" for everything popped up). I guess they got cut off somehow when I viewed it as a normal e-mail. Weird.

Anyway, the fecal fat score said <300, which is also the normal range.

But still, if anyone else would care to comment, I'd be interested in what you have to say.

[mftnchn]

Yes, so malabsorption score is low, which is good. However it looks like he is definately both gluten and milk are positive, and high. Though "high" might not be important, only that it is positive.

[AndreaB]

Definately get him gluten and dairy free unless you plan on doing more testing.

[confused]

I had the same problem looking at my test results in a regualr email, they had cut off the normal ranges, all it said was normal, so when i read my results i was like cool im normal, then when i went to look at them at enterolab site, it showed i was far from normal lol.

I would put that bb on gluten and casein free asap, the reason he had no malabsorption i would guess is cause he is still little.

paula

[New Mama]

I took both my son and myself off gluten and dairy about four weeks ago. In that time my

light-headedness has gone away and I don't feel so bloated anymore. I used to CRAVE bready things and stuff myself and then feel bloated and FULL afterward -- no more. My stomach seems flatter and I've dropped a few pounds without trying. My tongue has also lost its white coating

and I think my constant post-nasal drip is going away.

I should add that I started taking cod liver oil high in vitamin A & D last summer and for the first time ever I got TWO periods on my own...I'm wondering if I was deficient in those vitamins maybe due to gluten interfering with my absorption, and the high doses I took somehow made up for that.

As for my son...he has always been at the top (or off) of the charts for height/weight and has rarely been ill. However as a tiny baby he was VERY fussy -- we would be up all night with him as he pumped his tiny legs and he just seemed miserable. He was exclusively breastfed for nine months (and still nurses a lot) and I tried cutting things out of my diet. Dairy and soy seemed to make things worse. I did cut out wheat but I don't think I did all gluten and I'm sure I didn't

give it enough time or was careful enough about it. I was vegan at the time and losing weight like crazy, starving because I had cut so many foods out. My son was a major spitter-upper for the first six months or so, too, and had this horrible-sounding wretching cough from time-to-time.

About the time I introduced solids (about a year ago) he developed bumps on his cheeks and upper arms. The ones on his cheeks would get more pronounced and red sometimes, then fade to normal skin-tone other times. His doctor said they were keratosis pilaris and nothing to

worry about (and with no cure for them). But since we've gone gluten-free his cheeks have almost completely cleared up and his arms seem like they're heading the same way.

So it seems like we are doing the right thing!