Need Advice As To My Son....

[Mica]

I really need some advice as to what to do with this. I have a thyroid problem and that led me to test for gluten intolerance through Enterolab. I tested positive (12 when anything over 10 is positive) for IgA antibodies and was found to have one of the 2 main celiac genes as well as a gluten sensitivity gene. I proceeded to test my 6 year old son through Enterolab. My son shows no Celiac symptoms. He very rarely complains of a mild tummy ache and sometimes complains of some pain in his legs but our pediatrician insists that is normal "growing pains." He is growing and developing well. His test results are as follow:

Gluten Sensitivity Stool Test

Fecal Antigliadin IgA 94 (Normal Range <10 Units)

Tissue Transglutaminase Stool Test

Fecal Antitissue Transglutaminase IgA 25 Units (Normal Range <10 Units)

Intestinal Malabsorption Stool Test

Quantitative Microscopic Fecal Fat Score <300 Units (Normal Range <300 Units)

We had blood tests done at his pediatrician's office and I was told they are normal. His pediatrician says he has never heard of Enterolab and neither has the pediatric GI from Vanderbilt he works with. So they suggested not proceeding with a biopsy or a gluten-free diet.

I am concerned since I do not understand how his results from Enterolab are so high if nothing is wrong?

So my husband wants to drop the whole thing and believe Enterolab is not "for real" and I supported that for a few months but am having second thoughts. I have read so many posts about blood tests being negative even when biopsies are positive...but then again, my son shows no symptioms of celiac disease????

What should I do?

Thank you in advance for the input!

Mica

[RiceGuy]

Since there are hundreds of possible symptoms, which do you think would be conclusive?

The leg pains ARE a symptom. So is the occasional stomach ache. And no, they are NOT normal, nor are they "growing pains". There's no such thing.

As a kid, I had all sort of health problems, but nobody figured it out. There were actually many "little" things (which in reality were not little) that didn't seem to be serious, or correlate with anything. An itch without a rash, occasional red ears, days when I couldn't concentrate enough to complete schoolwork. None of the doctors could find anything wrong, and insisted I was lying just to avoid school! Please, for the sake of your child, don't fall into that trap.

Also, the standard tests for children of that age are often falsely negative, so you cannot decide based on the standard tests. Enterolab does seem to have a good reputation here, and since most doctors don't know anything about Celiac, why would we expect them to know of Enterolab?

Not long ago, doctors insisted that chiropractors were quacks too!

I think it could prove very insightful to put your son on a gluten-free diet, and retest in a few months. Or, if he has obvious improvements, then you'll know.

[swalker]

I would do a gluten challenge as well.

It's non-invasive and changes are fast and obvious. In my experience, many people don't know how good they can feel until they get off gluten.

[Woody6]

You have centainly come to the right place. There are so many knowledgable people on this board and it already looks like some great advice has come your way.

The only question I have is did your doctor do specific blood tests for celiac and if so what were the results of those specific tests as compared to the other company? Request that information from your doctor and compare the results and see what you think.

Best wishes to you on this issue.

[Mica]

Hi again,

First of all, thank you for the replies I have received. I wanted to update my post because I received copies of my son's labs from his pediatrician and, from what I can see, they tested his total IGA levels and TTG. Here are the results:

IGA 181 (Ref Range 33-235 mg/dl)

Tissue Transglutaminase Antibody, IGG <3 (<7 Negative)

My son is clearly not IGA deficient and I did not expect a high TTG level because the Enterolab stool test only reflected 25 units (with <10 being normal), but is that it? Do they no longer test for IGA antibodies? If this is all they do, no wonder it all came back negative! I can't tell what lab did the tests, but I am certain it was just a regular commercial lab.

Opinions?

Thanks again!

Mica