Pre-blood Test Question

[poohbear]

Hi, I am a newbie to this forum, so my apologies if this information is already included somewhere else (I looked but didn't see it).

After many, many years of classic Celiac symptoms, my doctor has ordered blood tests. I know that being gluten free before the tests can result in a false negative result, but what I'm wondering is, how far before having the test should you resume eating gluten? If I start eating gluten now, would it be okay to have the tests done next week, or should I wait longer?

Thanks!

[aikiducky]

It depends on how long you have been gluten free before going back on gluten for the test. The idea is that if you have been gluten free for a long time, any damage that you might have had would have healed, and wouldn't show up in tests any more. Also, if you have been gluten free for a while, it takes some time for your antibodies to come up again. So if you have been gluten free for a long time, you need to be on gluten again for long enough to significantly damage yourself again. Think months not weeks!

On the other hand, if you've only been gluten free for something like two weeks to see what happens, I would think going back on gluten for a week would be enough.

Pauliina

[happygirl]

Dr. Fasano's dietician spoke at a support group recently, and said that even one week of a gluten free diet can radically alter the results of the biopsy. Considering that the damage found in a biopsy and the blood test results are often correlated in severity, you need to be eating gluten for an extended amount of time for the results to be accurate. If you have been gluten-free for years and start eating gluten for a few days beforehand, if they are negative, I wouldn't consider them a true negative. The latest word is that you need to be eating a good amout of gluten for a number of months for them to be correct.

[poohbear]

Thanks very much for your advice! I have been sporadically gluten free, but not completely gluten free, so I'm hoping I'll be able to do the test soon. I plan to eat lots of gluten from now until I go for the test, but I'm not sure I'll be able to leave the house as I get violently ill with more than a very small amount.

Thanks again!