Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

False Negative Rate For Serological Tests?


jormungand

Recommended Posts

jormungand Newbie

Hi,

I've been lurking for a while since I suspect I have gluten intolerance, and this board has been incredibly useful. However, I was wondering if someone could answer some questions for me.

One - Does anyone know what the false negative rate for the celiac antibody panel is? I recently had a complete set of serological tests run and there were no abnormalities.

Two - If I schedule a endoscopy and it is negative as well, what is the combined false negative rate? Could I still have celiac's?

As a bit of background, I have some risk factors in favor of the disease: Hashimoto's, mild GE symptoms like intermittent loose bowel movements and mild abdominal discomfort, and presumed lactose intolerance (being breath tested for it soon). However, I have had many of these symptoms even during periods of gluten-free diet (natural, not intentional, since I am vegetarian and eat lots of naturally gluten free South Asian/Southeast Asian dishes with rice, lentils, vegetables, and pure single-ingredient spices), and I have no family history of any GE disorders as far as I can.

Like I mentioned, before my antibody testing, I was gluten-free or gluten-light naturally for small periods of time, a couple of days or even up to a week. Would this affect my results, if I otherwise eat a normal amount of gluten for an American diet, including pizzas, breads, and pasta? I was not careful about checking ingredients or using clean cooking utensils, and my results showed no deviation from the lab's reference ranges (in contrast, my Hashimoto's test showed 2000 when normal was 20 or less).

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



nora-n Rookie

You need to eat a lot of gluten for the blood tests to show up positive.

Like 0,3 grams per kg per day, for at least 6 weeks, better at least 3 months.

Did they do the total IgA too?

If you are IgA deficient, the ordinary tests will be negative.'

And, I read here that scientists sent blood from biopsy proven celiacs out and many labs picked up only half the celiacs in real life (not in lab circumstances).....

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - trents replied to MagsM's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      26

      Inflammation and Menier’s disease link?

    2. - nataliallano replied to MagsM's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      26

      Inflammation and Menier’s disease link?

    3. - Zuma888 replied to Zuma888's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Hypothetical question about antibodies

    4. - Scott Adams replied to Zuma888's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Hypothetical question about antibodies

    5. - Betsy Crum replied to Betsy Crum's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      4

      Chest pain from celiac


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,235
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    judycs
    Newest Member
    judycs
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      How long have you been strictly gluten free? Certainly, it would be good to look into vitamin and mineral deficiencies and supplementation. The B vitamins, magnesium and D3 are all very important to neurological health. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to reverse gluten-induced neurological damage damage if it has gone on for a long time. 
    • nataliallano
      Thanks Trents I'm strict with my gluten-free diet now. I just don't feel any better. I'm going to get tested for vitamins and minerals to see if I need some supplements. For sure I got some damage that doctors call Menier's and the only way they treat it is with medicine that does damage my body more than it helps.   
    • Zuma888
      Thank you Scott for your helpful response! Based on this, would you say someone who is on a gluten-free diet - but not strict about cross-contamination and occasional cheating - and tests negative for tTg-IgA while having normal total IgA is not likely to have celiac, even if they have been 'gluten-free' for years?
    • Scott Adams
      That’s a really insightful observation about antibody testing and the gluten challenge! You’re absolutely right that antibody levels can remain elevated for months or even years after going gluten-free, especially if there’s ongoing cross-contamination or occasional slip-ups. The immune system doesn’t reset overnight—it can take time for antibodies like tTG-IgA to normalize, which is why many doctors recommend waiting at least 6–12 months of strict gluten-free eating before retesting. For someone who’s been gluten-free for less than two years or hasn’t been meticulous about avoiding cross-contact, there’s absolutely a chance they’d still test positive, since even small amounts of gluten can keep antibodies elevated. This is partly why the gluten challenge (where you eat gluten before testing) exists—it’s designed to provoke a measurable immune response in people who’ve been gluten-free long enough for antibodies to drop. But you raise a great point: the challenge isn’t perfect, and false negatives can happen if the timing or amount of gluten isn’t sufficient to trigger a strong antibody response. This is why diagnosis often combines antibody tests with other tools like genetic testing or endoscopy. Your question highlights just how nuanced celiac testing can be! For people with celiac disease hidden gluten in their diets is the main cause of elevated Tissue Transglutaminase IgA Antibodies (tTG-IgA), but there are other conditions, including cow's milk/casein intolerance, that can also cause this, and here is an article about the other possible causes:      
    • Betsy Crum
      Thank you for your response! I have considered starting a food diary in the past, I suppose this is as good a time as any to start.  
×
×
  • Create New...