Wrong Blood Test For Celiac Diagnosis

[hapi2bgf]

I need some help figuring out if my Mother got the correct blood test to detect Celiacs.

After years of problems I was finally diagnosed with Celiacs last year. My mother shows many of the signs of Celiacs, it runs in her family, and so I have asked her to get the blood test. After much teeth pulling she was finally tested by a Family Practice doctor. This was her first visit to the doctor. I have no idea how much this doctor knows about Celiacs.

The problem is that I asked her to get the exact name of the tests and the normal range and her numbers when they called the results in to her. She said the blood test was called "anti-endimesio antibody" (SP?). I doubt that this is the correct spelling. She had a 5.9 and said anything under 20 is considered Normal.

I have never heard fo this anti-endimesio antibody blood test being used to detect Celiacs. I thought she needed the "Anti-gliadin IgA, IgG, and Tissue Transglutimase"? (We had the Anit-Gliadin test listed above used on my daughter to determine that she does not have Celiacs.)

Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

My Mother is 65 and has hemachromatosis, Hypothyroidism, Joint pain/Arthritis, and "stomach problems" aka diarrhea reactions to foods.

Thanks,

Ann

[gf4life]

The anti-endomysial antibody test is the test that was used most commonly, before the tissue transglutaminase test was made. Some doctors do both, others do one or the other, and some don't do either. There is not set standard for how to test for Celiac, and that is part of the problem. The tissue transglutaminase test is supposed to be more accurate, but if it is not performed properly it is not accurate, the anti-endomysial is not as specific to Celiac, but still a decent test. The anti-gliadin tests are not very specific to Celiac at all, but still have their place in the full panel of testing, since some people only test positive on one test, but not the others. Your mother should probably repeat the tests, but she needs a celiac panel. This includes the following:

Gliagin IgA AB

Gliadin IgG AB

Anti-endomysial

Anti-human tissue transglutaminase

*Total serum IgA

*this is very important, since there is a higher occurance of IgA deficiency in people with Celiac Disease (than with the general population) and this would alter the blood test results if you were in fact deficient.

I hope you are able to figure out if your mother has celiac disease or not. Have you conscidered Enterolab for their home testing kit?

God bless,

Mariann

[hapi2bgf]

Thanks for the information. I'll try to have her get the blood work done again.

Is it better to have the Celiac Blood test done by a doctor who is familiar with the disease, i.e., has other celiac patients?

Thanks for the help!

[gf4life]

Is it better to have the Celiac Blood test done by a doctor who is familiar with the disease, i.e., has other celiac patients?

Yes, it is better, but good luck finding one. Most people who do find a good doctor seem to find them accidentally. Also, keep in mind that the blood tests are not 100% accurate. It is always a good idea to further test for Celiac Disease if the blood tests come back negative or borderline, and the symptoms continue.

God bless,

Mariann