Am I Asking For The Right Tests

[Tammiejo]

I suspect I am reacting to gluten. I have have experienced most of the symptoms listed on the site to some degree for years and just assumed it was just the way I am, deal with it. I recently woke up to a rash all over my body that looked like Chicken Pox. I have had small outbreaks that I attributed to allergies, working out..... but never like this. I have had Chicken Pox and measels before, but went to the Dr to be sure I did not have anything contagous. He ran tests for those (all negative) and added a test for Celiacs. I had never even heard of it before but after reading the site, I seemed to fit the bill. I have been gluten-free for 3 weeks and feel much better. I am an inch smaller around the middle! The blood work came in and the Dr says negative but it appears he did only the IgA? I am not sure what I am looking at or how to read this so I am hoping to get some guidance here....

Immunoglobulin A, serum 171 f 68-378 mg/dL

Tissue Transglutaminase Ab, IgA 1 f < 20 Units

I would love to order a pizza for dinner, but..... I haven't been constipated or have diarehha in 2 weeks.... My skin is almost clear...

I'd appreciate any advise I can get!!

[happygirl]

He ran the tTG IgA, which is probably the best screening test for Celiac. According to it, you were negative.

The other test is the total IgA, which measures your ability to produce IgA antibodies. If you were IgA deficient, and had Celiac, you couldn't test positive on any of the IgA based tests (tTG IgA, AGA IgA, EMA IgA, etc). According to your bloodwork, you are not IgA deficient.

No one blood test is perfect for every individual. You could have damage that isn't picked up by the bloodwork. Or, you may not have Celiac and still have a non Celiac gluten sensitivity. Or, you could not have a problem with gluten.

Some people prefer to keep gluten out of their diets, regardless of testing, because they feel better off of it. They don't know "what" it is. Others prefer to push for a firmer diagnosis (including biopsy) to rule in/out Celiac.

[*lee-lee*]

were you consuming gluten at the time the blood was drawn? if you had stopped eating gluten for 3 weeks and then had the blood taken, the results could be inaccurate.

[Tammiejo]

I was eating gluten at the time of the test. Just the 3 weeks it took to get my results. I never would have suspected it and even thought the Dr was a bit daft when he mentioned the test, but figured it couldn't hurt. He was only looking at the skin issue at the time. The stomach issues I have had for so long that I didn't consider it important at the time. It was not anything new or different. And fatigue? I am training for a marathon, of course I am fatigued.

It wasn't until I started reading the site that all the symtoms I would never have put together suddenly fit. I think I'll stay gluten-free for a bit and see if I continue to feel better.

Thanks!!

[Tammiejo]

Thanks for the translation! I still don't think I'll run right out and order that pizza tonight, but maybe I'll introduce some gluten back in a few weeks and see what happens.