Jump to content

  • 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

Confused - False Positive

ccooper

Recommended Posts

ccooper Newbie
ccooper
Posted

My 11 year old son seen the GI specialist yesterday. The GI said that he believed the blood test was a false positive. He had a score of 67(?). The 67 was high but the other two test were normal. The GI is now running a test for IgA only. What does this mean? If it's not celiac what is it? I was hoping that the celiac diagnosis was going to be our answer to his symptoms. He has a history of intestional issues (watery stools sometimes, cramping, short stature 5% range), canker sores, itchy skin and sores, fecal incontinence, IRRITABILITY (he doesn't get along with himself most of the time). Any ideas would be appreciated.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


WorryMom Newbie
WorryMom
Posted

I have done a lot of research on false positives and weak positives in the last few months because my 9 year old son's tTg IGA was 4.3 on a scale where 0-4 negative, 4-10 weak positive.

What I found indicates that you are much more likely to have a false negative than a false positive. According to most of what I read, even if not all the tests are positive they should still do an endoscopy to check for damage especially if they are having symptoms such as your son is. Did they do the endoscopy yet? Some of the things that could cause a false positive on the tTg are cirrhosis of the liver, diabetes or heart failure but this is very rare. Given his symptoms it seems much more likely he has celiac. I hope they are able to figure it out soon so your son can start healing.

My son is seeing a specialist next week. He was tested due to family history and not really sick at the time but in the last few months he has started being tired all the time and complaining of stomach aches. He has occasional bathroom issues and has become whinier than usual. I'm hoping the doctor will agree to do the endoscopy so we can see if he has it or not.

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

Most of us here "don't believe in" false positives. Why? Because your body is not going to produce an antibody to itself with no reason and without doing damage. It's kinda what autoimmune diseases are all about.

Do you know WHICH test came back "positive"? I'm assuming, from your comment about testing total IgA, that it was the anti-gliadin IgA test. About 10% of celiacs are IgA deficient, which means that they will always have low numbers, regardless of whether or not they are producing "more" anti-gliadin IgA. But that means they'll more likely get a false negative, not positive.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Your son's symptoms and the postive test make it pretty certain that he is one of the 'family'. If you are going to have them do an endoscopic exam on him, which also has a risk of a false negative, you need to make sure to keep him on the full gluten diet. If you are not going to do an endoscopy then go ahead and put him on the diet.

ccooper Newbie
ccooper
Posted
  • Author

I called the pediatrician to get a list of actual scores - Here they are:

IgA - 64

Gliadian IgG - 67

TtG - 3

No biopsy has been scheduled. More blood test were ordered in order to check for IgA deficiency. Does the above mentioned scores mean anything to anyone? The doctor is calling it a false positive.

ang1e0251 Contributor
ang1e0251
Posted

Could you please put the lab's ranges with those numbers? Each lab is different.

Many, many people have false negatives but I have never heard of someone who actually had a false positive.

ccooper Newbie
ccooper
Posted
  • Author
Could you please put the lab's ranges with those numbers? Each lab is different.

Many, many people have false negatives but I have never heard of someone who actually had a false positive.

O.k, this is the best that I know:

IgA - 64 with range of 65 to 246

IgG - 67 range of 1 to 11 normal

TtG - 3 normal range 3 and below

Does this help?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted
O.k, this is the best that I know:

IgA - 64 with range of 65 to 246

IgG - 67 range of 1 to 11 normal

TtG - 3 normal range 3 and below

Does this help?

As I suspected, the IgG test is positive, and the others negative. The tTg test being borderline just gives you an idea of how much damage is happening. (Still, why would he have any if there wasn't some response going on?) The IgA test being low tells you nothing if he's IgA deficient. The IgG test is QUITE DISTINCTLY POSITIVE. He is clearly have an immune reaction to gluten. (Most doctors *want more* because they so hate to put their patients on a gluten free diet. BAH!)

ccooper Newbie
ccooper
Posted
  • Author
As I suspected, the IgG test is positive, and the others negative. The tTg test being borderline just gives you an idea of how much damage is happening. (Still, why would he have any if there wasn't some response going on?) The IgA test being low tells you nothing if he's IgA deficient. The IgG test is QUITE DISTINCTLY POSITIVE. He is clearly have an immune reaction to gluten. (Most doctors *want more* because they so hate to put their patients on a gluten free diet. BAH!)

The GI acted like the IgG elevation wasn't anything if the other two areas weren't positive also. If he doesn't have celiac than I want to know why the levels were so high..... I guess I will have to wait and see what happens on Monday when I get the IgA deficiency results back. I don't mind the doctor wanting to know more, but I feel like I know less than I did before I went to the office.The GI stressed that grains are a very important part of ones diet and that no diet changes should be made unless something else shows up

Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

***Personal opinion alert***

The GI stressed that grains are a very important part of ones diet and that no diet changes should be made unless something else shows up

That's complete and utter crap. The human race survived for thousands of years without grain.

Ask him to name you ONE essential nutrition that can only be found in grain.

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

that might "just" be jestgar's opinion, but I think she's completely correct. in my opinion, anyway.

your doctor is full of crap if he thinks grains are a mandatory part of a diet, or even that you can't have any grains if you're gluten free. wrong and wrong.

ccooper Newbie
ccooper
Posted
  • Author

Maybe he's full of crap and being ignorant. On a positive note, maybe he just didn't want us to get to alarmed yet- so that's why he said the grain thing???? I don't know.

I have read some other post that says that an elevated IgG is sometimes something else. Any ideas?

Archived

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

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Scott Adams
      0

      The Hidden Link Between Celiac Disease and Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (+Video)

    2. Jmartes71
      - Jmartes71 replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      2

      Keytones

      I haven't been up to date with taking my vitamins these past few months since I've been dealing with blood work and things that don't want you to have vitamins for imaging and mri's , scans.Im getting confused so I'm just not taking it to not disrupt the tests.My skin has issues.Im dealing with burning sibo pain .Im being extremely sensitive at my age my...
    3. Known1
      - Known1 replied to oceangirl's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      17

      Lubriderm-gluten-free?

      I put lotion on every morning. I also eat a banana every morning. Sometimes I wash my hands prior to eating my banana and sometimes I do not. I started noticing a reaction and couldn't figure out what it was from. I found this thread regarding Lubriderm lotions. (Actually there are several, but this is the most recent, which is why I am replying here...
    4. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to lehum's topic in Super Sensitive People
      12

      4.5 years into diagnosis, eating gluten-free and still struggling: would love support, tips, & stories

      Hello @Heavenly Flower Welcome to the forum! It will take time to master the diet and find what foods you can eat but I'd suggest what might make it easier is to keep a food diary. You can write down what you ate, and then any symptoms that arise in a day. Patterns do start to emerge. Also, it is worth bearing in mind that sometimes intolerances...
    5. trents
      - trents replied to lehum's topic in Super Sensitive People
      12

      4.5 years into diagnosis, eating gluten-free and still struggling: would love support, tips, & stories

      Welcome to celiac.com, @Heavenly Flower! You're off to a good start but you can certainly branch out some. White rice is fairly devoid of nutrition. Baked potatoes with the skin (washed) would be a better choice for the starch unless, that is, you don't do well with members of the nightshade family. Yams or sweet potatoes would be even better because...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,420
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    LifeOfBryan
    Newest Member
    LifeOfBryan
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Jmartes71
      Keytones

      By Jmartes71 · Posted

      I haven't been up to date with taking my vitamins these past few months since I've been dealing with blood work and things that don't want you to have vitamins for imaging and mri's , scans.Im getting confused so I'm just not taking it to not disrupt the tests.My skin has issues.Im dealing with burning sibo pain .Im being extremely sensitive at my age my tolerance level after menopause and glutenfree has been terrible. I was advised to drink lots of carbohydrates by pcp as well which I do drink lot's  of water and several teas a day.Thankyou
    • Known1
      Lubriderm-gluten-free?

      By Known1 · Posted

      I put lotion on every morning.  I also eat a banana every morning.  Sometimes I wash my hands prior to eating my banana and sometimes I do not.  I started noticing a reaction and couldn't figure out what it was from.  I found this thread regarding Lubriderm lotions.  (Actually there are several, but this is the most recent, which is why I am replying here.) This thread did not provide a definitive answer, so I contacted the manufacturer via their website.  Below is their exact reply.  I inquired about two of their products, Daily Moisturizer (in the white/blue bottle) and Advanced Therapy (in the white/pink bottle).  In short, Lubriderm IS NOT guaranteed to be gluten-free. --Start quote: Thank you for contacting Lubriderm®. We appreciate your interest in our products. Kenvue fully complies with all regulations on ingredients in the countries in which our products are sold. Wherever regulatory authorities have set limits on certain ingredients, our product formulations either meet those limits or contain a lesser amount of the regulated ingredient. We are committed to maintaining the high standards of quality and safety that have been our hallmark for generations of consumers. Although the gluten was not added to the Daily Moisture Lotion, we cannot guarantee that cross-contamination with gluten did not occur in the manufacturing process. In addition, some of the ingredients in the product may have been purchased by us from outside distributors, and we cannot say with absolute certainty that cross-contamination did not occur at their facilities. We recommend that you speak with your treating physician if you are concerned that, with your particular sensitivity, the product’s listed ingredients may trigger an allergic reaction.  Thank you for understanding. If you have any more comments or questions in the future, please don't hesitate to reach out again. With care, Cris Lubriderm® Consumer Care Center --End Quote For reference, here is an article found on this site that discusses gluten-free options when it comes to lotions: Stay well, Known1
    • cristiana
      4.5 years into diagnosis, eating gluten-free and still struggling: would love support, tips, & stories

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hello @Heavenly Flower Welcome to the forum!  It will take time to master the diet and find what foods you can eat but I'd suggest what might make it easier is to keep a food diary.   You can write down what you ate, and then any symptoms that arise in a day.  Patterns do start to emerge. Also, it is worth bearing in mind that sometimes intolerances are temporary. I was temporarily dairy intolerant following diagnosis, and my gastroenterologist advised I should come off dairy for 3 weeks to see if it helped with painful lower abdominal bloating, and it did.  As I have healed I have been able to consume it again. If you get symptoms consuming 'pure oats' (gluten free oats, i.e. oats grown apart from and processed separately to gluten containing crops, andthe only oats we as coeliacs should be eating), the advice here in the UK is to stop eating them, then try them again in about six months.   Not to discourage you but it too me some years to be able to eat them without getting a sore stomach, but now so long as I don't overdo things, I can eat them every day.
    • trents
      4.5 years into diagnosis, eating gluten-free and still struggling: would love support, tips, & stories

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to celiac.com, @Heavenly Flower!  You're off to a good start but you can certainly branch out some. White rice is fairly devoid of nutrition. Baked potatoes with the skin (washed) would be a better choice for the starch unless, that is, you don't do well with members of the nightshade family. Yams or sweet potatoes would be even better because of the beta carotene. Do you have issues with eggs and dairy? How about fresh fish? What about fresh fruit? There are also non gluten alternative grains like quinoa, buckwheat (not related to wheat) groats and sorghum that are sold by companies like Bob's Red Mill that can be used for hot breakfast cereals. Gluten free oats is also an option, though some celiacs can't do oats because the protein in them (avenin) is similar enough to gluten to cause a reaction. Gluten is found only in wheat, barley and rye.
    • Heavenly Flower
      4.5 years into diagnosis, eating gluten-free and still struggling: would love support, tips, & stories

      By Heavenly Flower · Posted

      I was just diagnosed with celiac disease after Thanksgiving. I can't imagine what all you had to do to get all the information you have, it just seems so overwhelming. I am still trying to figure it all out and don't know if the information I'm getting is correct. I have been eating only white rice and chicken breast, pork, or steak and fresh vegetables.  Gluten free pretzels and rice cakes to snack on. But that's about it cause I don't know what I can eat it's to overwhelming.  I don't even know what symptom to look for for possible cross contamination cause I also have microscopic Colitis which has the same symptoms as celiac disease. I'm hoping at least being on this forum I can get information that will help me figure it all out. Sorry I am not able to help you and hope you get the relief you are looking for. 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.