Confused Mom

[cdmom95]

I'm new to celiac disease. My 13 yr old daughter was just diagnosed thru blood and confirmed though biopsy just this week. Her twin brother has not had the same symptoms as her, but has been experiencing some gastro problems, unexplained depression, anxiety and eye tics that just began in the last 6 months. About 3 months ago I had him to our pediatrician and they ran blood tests checking for his copper level (level elevated which apparently means he had untreated strep within last 6 months)as I guess it can cause tics, they checked his Free T4 and it was slightly low (.8 with .9 being the lowest mark of normal), negative to wheat allergy and lactose allergy. So, the pediatrician said he thought everything looked fine, just a phase and should go away with time. We have noticed over the past 6 months that after eating certain foods (milk, sugar, bread) he gets more anxious and the tics increase. His allergist totally blew me off and dismissed foods as the cause of his tics (I DON'T agree!!), even though he has enviromental allergies (no diagnosed food allergies, as they wouldn't test him beyond the wheat and lactose).

In reading on Celiac after my daughter was diagnosed I had a celiac panel run on him. His tests came back with his IgA serum at 54 (70 lowest normal) so they said the he has a low IgA level and that it scewed the rest of his IGA results on his Celiac Panel. Our GI specialsts told me to have his IgG level checked, that came back slightly high 19 (>17 positive). My question is, my son is also undergoing allergy shots, right before they drew blood for his IgG level he had his shots. Would this have any effect on his IgG level? He is scheduled for a biopsy in a few weeks, but I'm wondering if I should have additional blood tests prior to putting him through the endoscopy?

[Mom23boys]

I am in NO way an expert but I just don't see how the allergy shots would skew his blood tests. However I might question any allergy meds he may have been on. Allergy meds may alter some tests. With some of my tests I was told to tough it out for about a week.

You might want to call your dr, allergist and lab back to see what they say (Yes, I would call all just to see if everyone says the same thing).

[cdmom95]

I am in NO way an expert but I just don't see how the allergy shots would skew his blood tests. However I might question any allergy meds he may have been on. Allergy meds may alter some tests. With some of my tests I was told to tough it out for about a week.

You might want to call your dr, allergist and lab back to see what they say (Yes, I would call all just to see if everyone says the same thing).

Thank you for your response. I have a call in to his GI doctor!

[RiceGuy]

Sounds to me that both children should be on a gluten-free diet. Tests are often inaccurate, especially in children. Why not just try the diet and see what happens?

[cruelshoes]

This answer may give you more information than you want, but that's just how I roll.

Open Original Shared Linkthe 5 major types of antibodies in the body:

IgA. IgA antibodies are found in areas of the body such the nose, breathing passages, digestive tract, ears, eyes, and vagina. IgA antibodies protect body surfaces that are exposed to outside foreign substances. This type of antibody is also found in saliva and tears. About 10% to 15% of the antibodies present in the body are IgA antibodies. A small number of people do not make IgA antibodies.

IgG. IgG antibodies are found in all body fluids. They are the smallest but most common antibody (75% to 80%) of all the antibodies in the body. IgG antibodies are very important in fighting bacterial and viral infections. IgG antibodies are the only type of antibody that can cross the placenta in a pregnant woman to help protect her baby (fetus).

IgM. IgM antibodies are the largest antibody. They are found in blood and lymph fluid and are the first type of antibody made in response to an infection. They also cause other immune system cells to destroy foreign substances. IgM antibodies are about 5% to 10% of all the antibodies in the body.

IgE. IgE antibodies are found in the lungs, skin, and mucous membranes. They cause the body to react against foreign substances such as pollen, fungus spores, and animal dander. They may occur in allergic reactions to milk, some medicines, and some poisons. IgE antibody levels are often high in people with allergies.

IgD. IgD antibodies are found in small amounts in the tissues that line the belly or chest. How they work is not clear.

The tests that are considered to be most indicative of celiac (TtG and EMA) are both IgA tests. Since your son is IgA deficient, those tests are skewed. So the doctor has to rely on the IgG. THe IgG test that came back elevated is probably the Antigliadin IgG.

The allergy shots your son it taking are intended to treat IgE allergies. They would not skew the results of the bloodwork, since it is measuring a different type of antibody altogether. There is evidence that certain medications (steroids, for example) can alter the biopsy results, but that would not have any bearing on the bloodwork.

I think you have had the proper bloodwork as far as celiac goes. It also sounds like you have a doctor that knows a bit about celiac. I think you are doing the right thing by having the biopsy done. I think this step is very important, especially when it comes to diagnosing a child, or worse, a TEENAGER! Dietary results are important, too, but I think kids need that extra step to prove to them that they need to be compliant to the gluten-free diet. It kind of cuts down on the "screw you mom, I'll eat what I want. We don't really know if I have celiac because we didn't have the biopsy" arguments. I know others will disagree, and I'm glad that not having a biopsy works for them. But I'm glad we had one done on my son.

Good luck on his procedure. I look forward to hearing the results.

[cdmom95]

This answer may give you more information than you want, but that's just how I roll.

Open Original Shared Linkthe 5 major types of antibodies in the body:

The tests that are considered to be most indicative of celiac (TtG and EMA) are both IgA tests. Since your son is IgA deficient, those tests are skewed. So the doctor has to rely on the IgG. THe IgG test that came back elevated is probably the Antigliadin IgG.

The allergy shots your son it taking are intended to treat IgE allergies. They would not skew the results of the bloodwork, since it is measuring a different type of antibody altogether. There is evidence that certain medications (steroids, for example) can alter the biopsy results, but that would not have any bearing on the bloodwork.

I think you have had the proper bloodwork as far as celiac goes. It also sounds like you have a doctor that knows a bit about celiac. I think you are doing the right thing by having the biopsy done. I think this step is very important, especially when it comes to diagnosing a child, or worse, a TEENAGER! Dietary results are important, too, but I think kids need that extra step to prove to them that they need to be compliant to the gluten-free diet. It kind of cuts down on the "screw you mom, I'll eat what I want. We don't really know if I have celiac because we didn't have the biopsy" arguments. I know others will disagree, and I'm glad that not having a biopsy works for them. But I'm glad we had one done on my son.

Good luck on his procedure. I look forward to hearing the results.

That was EXACTLY what I was looking for!!! Thank you for answering my questions! We have his biopsy scheduled for next week! I'll post his results!

Thank you!

[splash]

That's really interesting information, cruelshoes... So what is the difference between the IgA antibodies for celiac and other antibodies that correspond to a wheat allergy? How would you find out that you are IgA deficient? Could that affect testing for allergies also?

[cruelshoes]

I am by no means an antibody expert, but I will answer to the best of my ability. I am confident if I speak out of turn someone will correct me.

So what is the difference between the IgA antibodies for celiac and other antibodies that correspond to a wheat allergy?

It is my understanding that a wheat allergy is an IgE response. The IgA tests for celiac (EMA, tTg and AGA) are measuring specific variants of IgA. EMA measures Endomesial antibodies, tTg measures Tissue Transglitaminase and AGA measures Antigliadin antibodies.

How would you find out that you are IgA deficient? Could that affect testing for allergies also?

Total IgA is one of the bloodwork tests in the celiac panel. If the IgA is low, all the results in the celiac panel that measure IgA antibodies would be skewed. In theory, being IgA deficient would only skew test results if the antibody variant being measured was an IgA antibody. From my understanding of allergy testing (skin prick testing and the like), that measures IgE reactions.

Hope that helps and that I made some sense.

[gfpaperdoll]

re tics, my double DQ1 Enterolab positive grandson that is 12, gets tics. When I see him he usually has a new tic, & sometimes a new sound - he is not gluten-free.

He always has an excuse why he is making the tics or the sounds... but I know what they are caused from... My son chooses to pretend that it does not exist.

[splash]

I'm double DQ1 and have had twitches under my eye a few times. I've now been gluten free for 8 months but they still come back sometimes and I can't tell if it's connected to accidental glutening. It never lasts more than a few hours for me. My mother, who must have at least one DQ1 since I'm double, had an eye twitch that lasted nonstop for two years. She tried everything including hormone therapy but nothing worked until it just finally went away. Now that I'm gluten free, she will avoid wheat from time to time and says she feels better, but she won't commit to the diet. Her mother has had chronic D and C her whole life. The connection with eye twitching was the only thing that convinced my mom that something genetic might be going on...

But something interesting about the gene thing: I learned from an article on this site that EVERYONE has two DQ genes. (see https://www.celiac.com/articles/1046/1/Unde...wey/Page1.html) It's the DQ2 and DQ8 that are more common for celiacs, but gluten sensitivity (and I still don't understand what the difference is there - from what I can tell sensitivity is actually more severe) can appear with othere alleles. So just because you have DQ-something doesn't bring you closer to being celiac, it just makes you human ;-)