How Reliable Are The Enterolabs?

[Guest Eagle]

I wanted to know how reliable people have found the Enterolab results to be. I had thought that they were reliable and had complete confidence in them. I went to a gastroenterologist who did an endoscopy and a stomach biopsy. He said that he didn't see anything in there at all. My celiac panel didn't show up anything. My enterolabs say:

Fecal antigliadin IgA 38

Fecal Antitissue Transglutaminase 35

Quantitative Fecal Fat <300

Fecal anti-casein IgA antibody 39

HLA-DQB1 Molecular analysis Allele 1

HLA DQB1 Molecular analysis Allele 2

Chicken Egg IgA 10

Fecal Anti-Soy IgA 54

And, although I have had autoimmune thyroiditis for years the doctor took my diagnosis of irritable bowel and said that it all fit the diagnosis of Somatization Disorder. He also wrote down that I might have EDS. Now, I have to go to a psychiatrist or something to get the Somatization off of my record. I had had mood swings for years from undiagnosed thyroiditis and despite finally getting the official diagnosis I can't get the depression part cleared up on my medical record. It is always convenient for a "write-off". If other people don't find the Enterolabs to be reliable I would like to know. I had had complete faith in them but now I am confused as to how this could have happened.

[dlp252]

Aw, I'm so sorry!

Enterolab is only able to tell you if you have a sensitivity to gluten, etc. They can't diagnose Celiac. You may still have gluten intolerance (and thus a problem with gluten) and not have Celiac, which is what the blood testing and biopsies are looking for.

Were you gluten free before your blood test and biopsy? If so, that may be why they didn't find anything, especially if you'd been gluten free for a while.

I did the Enterolab testing and about 5-6 months later had the biopsies and blood testing. Neither the blood test nor the biopsy showed any damage, but both my doctor and I agreed that it probably wouldn't after nearly 6 months gluten free.

Still, he wasn't a big fan of the stool type testing for antibodies, but he did agree that diet response alone was a good indicator.

[Guest micah]

Your body is telling you something is wrong. Believe in yourself. I went through some of that years ago with doctors. My experience with them is that they are very good at certain things, but completely unknowledgeable about body chemistry problems and lots of other stuff. Don't let them get you down.

I don't know anything about enterolabs...yet. Many many people that I have talked to with GI problems get the same treatment you did or else spend years going to doctors before they are properly diagnosed. Don't give up on yourself even if they do.

Micah

[zarfkitty]

It is very common for doctors not to accept the validity of Enterolab. Dr. Fine himself is an extremely accomplished gastroenterologist, but the tests he uses are not accepted by mainstream medicine.

That doesn't mean that his lab is unreliable. He uses an ELISA method test of determining the amount of antibody in the stool. If he found it, it's in there.

In my opinion, his reference range (if your antibodies are less than 10 units, you're normal) is moot because other scientists haven't replicated his results.

Use your GI specialist and Enterolab the same way. They are providing you with valuable information about what's going on in your body; you do not have the tools to get this information yourself (biopsies, stool tests, etc).

The $10,000 question is: Do you feel better off the gluten? Make your decision based on how you feel... Neither your GI specialist nor Dr. Fine knows the answer to that.

Good luck!

[New Mama]

We used EnteroLabs for my son, who is almost two. He had bumps on his cheeks and upper arms as well as red scaly patches all over his body. EL said he was gluten- and casein intolerant. We took him off dairy first and the red patches mostly cleared up. Then we took him off gluten and the bumps on his cheeks went away; the bumps on his arms are less than they were.

I think he may have other issues, since he's still getting some red marks on his skin, so I'm going to have EL do the soy/egg/yeast test next.

I have complete confidence in EL. Mainstream medical doctors, not so much.

[mftnchn]

Your doctor's response is not unique. The thing is most doctors don't even know that much about celiac. You are lucky to have had the blood tests and biopsy. The problem is, blood tests and biopsy do not pick up all the celiacs. Enterolab, while not yet accepted by mainstream because Dr. Fine hasn't published his finding yet, reports that the stool testing is more sensitive than blood. One person on this forum who has worked in labs said she checked it all out and the testing and reagents used are exactly the same as is used in the blood tests. EL just does it closer to the problem--in the gut. EL is one more indication for you, but doesn't diagnose (at least not yet.)

If you scan the scientific research you'll find that admittedly not all celiacs are diagnosed by currently accepted methods.

That is why the dietary response is so important. With your EL results positive, you should try the diet at least, following it strictly. It will not hurt you, and chances are you might find the cure! Just remember it may take awhile before you know. It takes adults 1-2 years to heal after going gluten-free.

[natalie]

See my numbers below. I had neg blood work, positive biopsy.