Teen - Blood Test High Gliadin Iga

[Judee]

Hi, I wondered if you could give me your best guess on my son here. I am guessing as parents of celiac kids you would be up-to-date on blood test results???

13.5 years old - grew 3.5 inches this past year and gained 10 lb. (He is 5ft. 7.5 inches and weight 122, thin but he always has been. So he is a tall growing boy....BUT)

Gliadin IgA positive 66 (<20 being negative )

Glidadin IgG negative <20

Tissue Transglutaminase negative 20

Endomysial Antibody negative

Seems like the tissue test and the Endomysial test is what they want as positive in order to proceed with a biopsy. Therefore, I am guessing he has no active celiac trouble.

I plan to get him HLA tested, but until then...what is your best guess?

Also, why would they check the Giadin IgA and Gliadin IgG if the results don't matter?

Thanks for your input.

Judee, DQ8 biopsy proven, 13.5 years since diagnosis

[nikki-uk]

Well I know different labs can have different reference ranges but a tTg of 20 sounds awfully high (to me- usually anything above a 10 or there about's is positive).

Not sure about the AGA (it was never used in my son's test)

Gene testing would be a good idea.

Hopefully someone more knowledgable will know about the anti- gliadin

[Nancym]

I just read that without total villious atrophy 30% of blood tests are negative. More doctors are starting to become aware that IGA *is* indicative.

[chrissy]

there are other things that can cause a raised IgA level.

[e&j0304]

Chrissy, what are those other things that can cause elevated IgA? I have always wondered and have never found my answer...

[chrissy]

there are a couple---and i can't remember them all---my mind is like a sieve. psoriasis is one. i need to look this up again because this question comes up on a regular basis on this board. we also have an appt. with our ped gi coming up soon. i'll ask him about this. he seems to be pretty up-to-date and knowledgeable with his info.

i have also heard (nothing to back this up) that psoriasis can be helped by a gluten-free diet.

[e&j0304]

Thanks for the info and I'd love to hear what your ped GI has to say!

[April in KC]

Your son's results are very similar to what my blood tests were - solidly positive AGA - IgA, negative IgG. I haven't seen a lot of other people with only the positive IgA. I have seen a lot with the positive IgG only - and IgG is the one that some sites say can be associated with other diseases like Chron's. I would love to see a link to info about positive IgA being tied to any other illness besides Celiac, because I haven't seen it.

I didn't have my TTg and EmA checked until a few weeks after starting the gluten-free diet, but they were negative at that time. Biopsy (after being gluten-free for 8 weeks) was also clear. I had a lot of symptoms (fatigue, brain fog, rashy elbows, mouth sores, mood, dramatic weight loss, prior recurrent miscarriages, presence of other autoimmune issues, GI symptoms). I had only started getting bad GI symptoms in the 4 months or so before I got tested (my symptoms escalated postpartum after my third child was born and I was on a diet high in gluten). I was 34 when I found out, but my "minor" symptoms dated back to my childhood. There was a year or two in early childhood when I experienced constant dull aching stomach pain, and I also had the elbow rash on and off. I was thinnest in my class but of normal height (I'm a female, 5'6" now). I lagged a bit in gross motor skills and the innate balancing ability known as proprioception. I have had an extraordinary dietary response. I knew within 3 days that I would never touch gluten again. Once I detoxed, I started having a rough road with contamination and secondary intolerances (casein, coconut, possibly soy and/or corn but I avoid for now), but the more intense reactions I experience now are worth the price of admission. On most days, I'm a new person...and I didn't realize how sick I was before. : )

My six-year-old son is built just like I was, and resembles me in many ways. I had him tested this year, and he was positive on all of his blood work (AGA-IgA, IgG, EmA, Reticulin). It makes me wonder how I would have tested at his age. He has some GI symptoms similar to my childhood symptoms, plus the proprioception problem, plus lots of behavior issues. He has had a very good dietary response. He still gets some stomach aches - we're considering secondary intolerances but it's harder to tell in a small child who can't keep track as well. We are working with a GI doc who has tried a few things for the stomach aches - Miralax, etc. - and wants to biopsy soon. He wants us to go back on gluten, though, and we don't feel comfortable doing that to him at this time. Maybe we'll change our minds.

My three-year-old son was starting to become symptomatic (around when he turned 3 in December) but was negative on his blood work. We then chose to have him tested through Enterolab (which catches antibodies in the GI tract / stool, before they're present in the blood work) and he came back strongly positive for the antibodies, some of the highest numbers I've seen posted on this board, gluten and casein both above 100 units - but luckily no positive on the malabsorbtion numbers. He also tested HLA positive for DQ2. So I think we caught him right as the process was starting.

My infant son also has a strong dietary / skin response to gluten, but we haven't tested him through Enterolab.

In your son's case, with the positive antigliadin IgA numbers, I think you should at minimum consider him to be "gluten intolerant" and pull all gluten out of his diet (unless you're holding it in to do a biopsy). Whether he has obvious GI symptoms or not, his body reacts to gluten like a foreign invader. It's making him "sick," from an immunity perspective. Who knows how long before that reaction starts to occur in his gut / skin / brain?

Best wishes - April

[Judee]

April ,

Thanks for your input. I need to find out more about these enterolab tests. I went to their website, but did not see tests defined.

Why are their tests different? Do regular GI doctors order similar tests to theirs as well as the endomysial and TTG tests that they seem to rely on.

How did you order the tests from Enterolabs...privately or through your doctor?

I think we will proceed with these tests as I am too impatient to wait until late July when we can see the celiac specialist.

Also, if you don't mind sharing your opinion on my older son.

at 14 yr. old, he was about 45-50% for height and 70% for weight. (shorter for our family, but very muscular) He does have the DQ8 gene and did test positive for Gliadin IgG anitbodies. However, a very reliable celiac specialist reviewed these results and said that they only rely on the TgG and endomysial tests (which turned out negative). So they recommended he eat gluten and get screenred every 2 years. What do you think?

Judee