Enterolab Question

[ADevoto]

Please don't take this badly but has anyone had a negative result with a test from Enterolab? It seems that all the posting always come back positive in someway but they were negative through other doctors. I just want to be careful - I have sent in my son's complete stool and gene test to Enterolab and just wanted to make sure that I was dealing with a good lab. My son doctor had recommended someone else and I went against her recommendation.

[pixiegirl]

I just got my EntroLab stuff today and I sort of wondered the same thing... however I did see a couple of people post here that there results were negative. And on top of that I'm not sure why they would just diagnose every one positive for the heck of it, unless they own stock in a gluten free bread company or some such!

Susan

[Guest jhmom]

This topic has been discussed many times. Yes there are people that have had negative results however since they are negative they don't stick around the boards and continue to post messages.

In my opinion the reason all of our blood work comes back negative and the stool panel is positive is because the stool panel tests are more sensitive than blood and it takes time for diseases to show up in blood and it takes time for gluten to damage the villi, I guess it just takes longer for some of us .

If you do not feel comfortable going through Dr. Fine at Enterolab you could always put your son on a strict gluten-free diet for a couple of months, if he improves he obviously has a problem with gluten.

[bmorrow]

I have also been skeptical of the EnteroLab results, but I can't deny that I have improved on the gluten-free diet. My GI told me that Dr. Fine's method was more advanced then the blood tests and more conclusive then the biopsy. He said that I should go on the gluten-free diet. I would also like to hear from some people that have received a negative results from Dr. Fine.

[cdobbs]

my family went thru enterolab. myself and my 2 yr old came back with the malabsortion w/ rates that were pretty high. my five yr old came back with gluten sensitivity but he still absorbed ok. my brither also had the test and he came back negative. my mother was also tested and had a low level of sensitivity but she had already been on the gluten-free diet bc of my father being celiac disease biopsy found. if all of us would have come back pos. i probably would have questioned it more. but i knew that it was especially true for myself and my 2 yr old. i had been having gut problems for the last yr and my 2yr old has always had a massive stomach and skinny arms. so, it kinda just calrified what we had. i didnt even know about this disease until my father was diagnosed and once i found out it was genetic i wanted my family to be tested bc hes been gluten-free for a yr now and still no improvement. i also didnt want my kids to go thru a biopsy. i did question the findings for awhile but just had to except the fact that we do feel better and my 2yr olds stomach isnt this hard basketball anymore. it a slow air leaking one now. ha.

goodluck

cdobbs

[Guest Addicted2Gluten]

I have repeatedly come out negative on all of the blood tests for Celiac Disease, except the not very accurate IgG. Since, I had all of the symptoms of Celiac Disease and felt better on a gluten free diet, I decided to get the Enterolab tests to prove to myself that I was on this restrictive diet for a reason. According to Enterolab I have "gluten sensitivity" and it is recommended that I go on a gluten free diet. I showed these results to my gastroenterologist who dismissed Kenneth Fine's diagnosis to say that there was not enough evidence yet to prove that these fecal antibodies could be used to make a diagnosis for Celiac Disease. However, I refused to believe him. Now I currently see one of the leading doctors in the country for Celiac Disease. I asked him what he thought about Mr. Fine. He said that one cannot detect Celiac Disease from fecal antibody tests and that this man is on a mission to prove that almost everyone has this disease. However, the gene test that Mr. Fine gives is very accurate. So, basically we are back where we started. If you feel better not eating gluten then the obvious answer is not to eat it. Althought, it is frustrating not knowing whether or not you have Celiac Disease, ultimately that doesn't matter.

[kvogt]

The absence of exhaustive studies proving the stool test method does not make the method invalid, just unproven within the criteria of modern medicine. Nor does it prove the method wrong. The test and method seems to work well for many people who report on this board. The lack of negative reports on this board doesn't mean there aren't any. Dr. Fine has stated a significant percentage of people who come to him for testing are found negative. The genes that cause celiac disease are present in about 35% of the population. If gluten does indeed cause presentations beyond classic celiac disease and DH - yet to be recognized by medicine, it may be possible the root cause of many health problems is consumption of gluten. Then there are the problems with milk, soy, yeast, etc.

Personally, I don't get too hung up on what medicine's absolutes. These are the same people who recommend a gluten challenge for diagnosis. The equivalent in heart disease would be to eat butter and beef to see if they can detect a heart attack.