Can Stress Mask celiac disease Blood Test Results?

[threedee]

Hello,

I have at least 12 year history of medical problems: depression, anxiety, mild hypothyroidism, ... basically burnout (or adrenal fatigue). I have had a "wide scope" (S-tTGAbA, S-IgA, S-EMAbA, S-RetAbG, S-RetAbA, S-AGAbA, S-AGAbG) celiac blood test and according to it I don't have celiac disease. The only reasons I am still unsure about celiac disease are the following:

- I seem to be producing a lot of gas (as testified by my dear wife :-) )

- I naturally eat relatively low glutein diet (for example rye bread, so there is some wheat in it, but not that much)

- I think there are some studies that state that IgA is lower in stressed persons (maybe that could affect test results?)

Have you heard about celiac blood tests giving wrong results (false negatives) because of stress, burnout, adrenal fatigue etc. conditions?

Low glutein diets would give false negative blood test results, but how low is low enough for that? I sometimes eat pasta (instead of rice etc.) and most of bread and cookies have at least some glutein.

Thanks,

threedee

P.S. When I have low stress levels I seem to be "automatically" doing less any "bad" stress causing behaviors (like procrastinating, staying up late, etc.), so I have started to wonder if there is something that nudges me into wrong directions sometimes... (with less stress there seems to be less stressful behavior, so the stress should evaporate)

[blueeyedmanda]

I do not believe stress can effect this type of blood test, stress can effect hormones levels so that is why some different tests may be slightly abnormal.

There are members here who have had negative celiac blood tests but have had a resolution of symptoms by the diet, if that makes any sense.

Hope that helps

Welcome to the Board!!!

[threedee]

Thanks for quick reply! If I get enough evidence to support my "false negative" theory I will have a biopsy. That is the only way to confirm or rule out celiac disease. Testing glutein free diet is a good idea, especially after the biopsy (no matter what the result).

threedee

[ravenwoodglass]

Thanks for quick reply! If I get enough evidence to support my "false negative" theory I will have a biopsy. That is the only way to confirm or rule out celiac disease. Testing glutein free diet is a good idea, especially after the biopsy (no matter what the result).

threedee

Some of us never show up positive in blood tests no matter how sick we are. Others have doctors that look at the panel and if the result is only a point or two into the positive they will consider it negative or inconclusive.

The best way to know for sure if the diet helps you is to do it strictly for at least 2 months. Biopsies miss many of us, either enough biopsies are not taken or the damage is patchy and is missed. If you are going to biopsy you need to be on a full gluten diet for at least 3 months, if you have gone gluten free or gluten light already.

[threedee]

You make it hard for me to not try glutein free diet . I have heard about biopsy missing celiac disease, but so far my mind set was that "biopsy is the key"... I think I'll better change my view. I am quite glutein free already (hmm.. maybe that's a hint!) and my wife is on super strict diet because she is nursing our VERY allergic baby girl, so switching to completely glutein free shouldn't be a problem. Now I just need to make up my mind.

Thanks again!

threedee

[ravenwoodglass]

You make it hard for me to not try glutein free diet . I have heard about biopsy missing celiac disease, but so far my mind set was that "biopsy is the key"... I think I'll better change my view. I am quite glutein free already (hmm.. maybe that's a hint!) and my wife is on super strict diet because she is nursing our VERY allergic baby girl, so switching to completely glutein free shouldn't be a problem. Now I just need to make up my mind.

Thanks again!

threedee

It sounds like your family is a great position to support you with the diet and vice versa. I hope you make up your mind soon and just do it. If you can't do it for you do it for that little baby, you do want to be able to be a happy, healthy Dad who will be around to jog her little ones on your knee when the time comes.

[blueeyedmanda]

I agree, it sounds like you have a wonderful support system at home. Going gluten free might give you that extra energy needed to run and chase that baby when she gets a little older.

[threedee]

I have been able to improve my "treatment program" over the years with healthy eating, exercise, vitamins, etc. "tricks", but I still don't have the final diagnosis. Various doctors have suggested things like depression, hypothyroidism, pyroluria and "you are just stressed". Adrenal fatigue and burnout are the best descriptions of my condition that I have managed to find so far.

It would be great if I felt better after starting gluten free diet, but I am also afraid that this would leave me in a "happy, but no diagnosis" state... It would be so great to finally have a piece of paper that says I actually have some medical problem!

Therefore I have decided to have a biopsy first, then start gluten free diet.

Thanks for support! Our baby girl is indeed one of my main motivations to get better

threedee