Bloodwork Results For Kids. Are They Iga Deficient?

[Brooklyn528]

Hello. I hope you can help me with my question.

I'm wondering if anyone can help me decipher the bloodwork that I got on my children today.

First, my daughter is 5 years old.

Her blood work came back as:

Quantitative IgA : 77 MG/DL normal: 33-235

TTG IgA: <3

With <5 Negative

Gliadin Antibody (IgG, IgA)

IgG Gliadin Antibody: 22 H

Reference Range- >17 =Positive

IgA Gliadin Antibody: <3

Reference Range- <11 Negative

IMMUNOLOGY:

HLA-DQ2 POSITIVE

HLA-DQ8 POSITIVE

HLA-DQA1 03

HLA-DQA1 05

HLA-DQB1 0201

HLA-DQB1 0302

Second, my son is 17 months:

QUANTITATIVE IgA: 33

Reference Range= 24-121

TTG Antibody, IgA: <3

Reference Range= <5 negative

IgA Serum: 32

Reference Range= 24-121

Gliadin Antibody (IgG, IgA)

IgG Gliadin Antibody: 10

Reference Range= <11 negative

IgA Gliadin Antibody: <3

Reference Range= <11 negative

IMMUNOLOGY:

HLA-DQ2 POSITIVE

HLA-DQA1 03

HLA-DQA1 05

HLA-DQB1 0201

HLA-DQB1 0301

FAMILY HISTORY:

ME- Celiac disease 01/09, Autoimmune Hepatitis 09/09

MY MOTHER- Rhuematoid Arthritis 10/09, Hashimoto's thyroiditis

SON'S PATERNAL GRANDMOTHER- Autoimmune thyroid disease, Graves disease

MY GRANDMOTHER- Celiac disease 2007

I'm just wondering what the educated minds on this site think of these number. I really don't know for sure. I know they are both positive for the genes needed, but I'm confused as to active disease. Thanks in advance!

Brooklyn

[JennyC]

First, my daughter is 5 years old.

Her blood work came back as:

Quantitative IgA : 77 MG/DL normal: 33-235

She is not IgA deficient. Her IgA would have to be below 33 to be considered IgA deficient.

IgG Gliadin Antibody: 22 H

Reference Range- >17 =Positive

This is her only elevated result because it is greater than the upper limit of the reference range, since it is greater than 17. There is definitely some wheat/gluten-related pathology going on.

Second, my son is 17 months:

QUANTITATIVE IgA: 33

Reference Range= 24-121

He is not IgA-deficient because his IgA is greater than 24.

IgG Gliadin Antibody: 10

Reference Range= <11 negative

All of your son's tests are negative, but I would have him retested periodically because he is very close to having a positive result and he is very young for such an antibody response.

Both of your children have genes that make it possible for them to develop celiac in the future.

[Brooklyn528]

Thanks. That was the impression I was under. I have both children set up with a Peds GI in November. We are doing food diaries with symptoms.

[nora-n]

This is the first test result I have seen with both the alpha and beta chains listed!!!

I really wonder which lab did this excellent testing.

You know, 6% have only half a gene and would be missed by older tests where they only report the beta chains and only report if DQ2 or 8 is present.

THe above results: (there are other forms of the DQ types too, see wikipedia HLA DQ page)

DQ2 is alpha 05* beta 0201

DQ8 is alpha 03* beta 0302

son:

DQ2

DQ7 alpha 03* beta 0301

DQ7 is very close to DQ8, and there are DQ7 celiacs out there for that reason.

There are several different DQ7 out there, different alpha chains. Check the chart at wikipedia.

There are abstracts in pubmed that say that in cildren IgG is more reliable for celiac testing. Also, IgG could be the first thing rising in celiac.

I think they will find celiac in a biopsy in the daughter. Not so sure yet about son.

[Brooklyn528]

Thank you so much for your great breakdown. I will check the Wikipedia page. The lab that did the bloodwork was quest labratories. My daughter I am very suspicious about. My son has been "lactose intolerant" since we tried cow's milk, so I am suspicious about him too.

I will keep you posted about them.

Thanks

Brooklyn

[nora-n]

Thank you for telling us about Quest laboratories, that they gave you the results of the alpha chains too.

There was another poster here who found out Quest did have the alpha chains, but the first report he got was just the DQ types. Turned out they had the alpha and beta chains all along.

Maybe others usually just get the DQ types too, since noone else here has posted all the alpha chains. Someone had half a gene and they did not even tell which, but that was another lab.

About your children, it is a bit hard to decide if they should go gluten free without a diagnosis.

Here where I live they would get an endoscopy done if symptomatic anyway.

But what about you? You have at least DQ2 or 8 according to those results.

nora