Celiac Wheat Or Gluten

[Allergictoevrything]

Does a celiac blood test show whether it is wheat or gluten ?

Bread is a big problem for me, but pizza bases also but to a lesser degree.

Sorry this is all very new to me, if the test is negative for celiac what should I be tested for.?

[mushroom]

Does a celiac blood test show whether it is wheat or gluten ?

Bread is a big problem for me, but pizza bases also but to a lesser degree.

Sorry this is all very new to me, if the test is negative for celiac what should I be tested for.?

Celiac tests test for gluten, not just wheat. There are a few people who are intolerant of wheat but can eat gluten from other sources (oats, rye, barley). I know one such person. But most people who can't eat wheat can't eat the other gluten sources either.

Unfortunately the celiac blood test is not a very precise instrument. Like any instrument, it is calibrated, and to show a positive result you must reach a certain threshold. Many people fall below that threshold whilst still measuring positive antibodies to gliadin which is what the body produces in response to gluten. However, if you do not meet the threshold you are not considered to be a celiac. So what are you? Most likely, gluten intolerant.

So what does gluten intolerant mean? It means that you have the same reactions to gluten as a celiac does, but you just don't register high enough on their scale to be called a celiac. Gluten intolerant people can suffer the same symptoms as celiac and quite often the same kinds of damage, but they don't get the celiac label. Usually they will show negative on endoscopic biopsy also, although some people have negative blood and positive biopsy. Does this mean that those testing negative can continue eating gluten?? Absolutely not, because if you are producing the antibodies you are causing your body damage with the gluten. Doctors often do not understand this and tell their patients who test negative for celiac that they can continue to eat gluten. Some smarter ones realize that the patient should avoid gluten the same as a celiac diagnosed patient. It is all very confusing, especially for the patient.

There is a school of thought that a gluten intolerant person is just someone who has not yet crossed the border into celiac disease.

If your doctor does not order an endoscopy with biopsy, or you cannot persuade him/her to do so, there are a couple of courses of action available to you.

1. You can order stool and gene testing through Enterolab. This will show the levels of antigliadin in your stool, levels of fecal fat which is a guide to digestive function, any other food sensitivies, and whether or not you carry one of the genes predisposing you to celiac. It cannot diagnose celiac itself.

2. You can try the gluten free diet and see if it has a beneficial effect. Often this is the most crucial test of all, a positive response to the diet is the best indicator to not eat it.

Do you have a copy of your test results you could post, with the ranges that the lab uses, because sometimes doctors are reluctant to diagnose someone as celiac even though some of their results fall above the line. For instance, my husband was told he was "borderline" celiac. Others are told that they are "mildly" celiac, which is, as we say here, a little bit like saying you are a little bit pregnant

As for what you should be tested for, depending on your symptomatology which led to your celiac testing, you may be nutritionally deficient in B vitamins (look especially for folate and B12, vitamin D, ferritin (iron) calcium, zinc, magnesium, potassium) if your body has not been absorbing nutrients well. I hope this was of some help

[OptimisticMom42]

I tested as allergic to both wheat and barley yeast. I sustained enough damage to my intestines that I became unable to digest dairy and soy. Then developed allergies to other foods (leaky gut?). My dr said he didn't need to test for celiac, it is obvious that I have it.

But I am also allergic to wheat. Handling regluar bread makes my hands red and itchy.

So I would suggest you be tested for food allergies and then do a gluten challenge. Go gluten free and see if you feel better.

[Allergictoevrything]

My doctor has said if the test comes back negative to keep clear of all bread and other products as with the milk I may just be intolerant.

I am forever low in iron, folate and calcium and have been in B12 twice now. But then I do get really heavy menstrual flow.

I don't get itchy hands when handling bread, nor diarreah/ constipation.

I am a little underweight and my stomach does swell within an hour of eating bread I even have stretch marks from it.

I am waiting for my test results which could take a week to two weeks.

So if I have understood right it will show whether I am allergic to wheat or gluten or possibly both ? Just from the celiac blood test ?

I wasn't sure if I would have to get another one just for wheat if it isn't gluten.

[mushroom]

My doctor has said if the test comes back negative to keep clear of all bread and other products as with the milk I may just be intolerant.

I am forever low in iron, folate and calcium and have been in B12 twice now. But then I do get really heavy menstrual flow.

I don't get itchy hands when handling bread, nor diarreah/ constipation.

I am a little underweight and my stomach does swell within an hour of eating bread I even have stretch marks from it.

I am waiting for my test results which could take a week to two weeks.

So if I have understood right it will show whether I am allergic to wheat or gluten or possibly both ? Just from the celiac blood test ?

I wasn't sure if I would have to get another one just for wheat if it isn't gluten.

Celiac disease is not actually an allergy to wheat/gluten. It is the body's autoimmune response to gluten which sets a whole stream of negative reactions in the body in motion. With celiac disease the gluten creates what is called a leaky gut which comes about because the gluten attacks the villi which line the small intestine and causes them to atrophy. This leaky gut allows particles of protein into the blood stream which should not normally get there and sets in motion this cascade of autoimmune antibodies which start attacking your own body because it thinks these proteins are foreign invaders. The blood test measures the gliadin antibodies in the bloodstream and the endoscopic biopsy measures the amount of damage to the villi. There is a scale for measuring the amount of damage to the villi and the antibodies in the blood, and if you do not reach a certain level you are not diagnosed as celiac. If you are not a full-blown celiac, you are considered to be gluten intolerant. Some doctors believe in gluten intolerance, some don't. Obviously yours does. and this is good Because in the end, whether you are celiac or gluten intolerant, the treatment is the same--don't eat gluten. The reason for the lactose intolerance is that the lactase enzyme to digest milk is produced at the tips of the villi, and this is the first function of the villi to go when damage occurs.

Now this is a very simplified explanation, and folks, don't jump on me for any slight inaccuracies here. I just wanted Allergictoeverything to understand a little more about the process.

There is also such a thing as an allergy to wheat. This will generally produce either an anaphylactic response, or a negative skin response from touching wheat.

Many celiacs do not have the gastrointestinal symptoms which are so common. Many show neurological symptoms, some of which mimic MS; many have migraines. Many develop RA and psoriasis, such as myself. There are many other autoimmune diseases, including diabetes, which are associated with celiac/gluten intolerance.

Many of us find out after we eliminate gluten that there are other foods we are intolerant of, sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently. Many of us are seriously deficient in the key nutrients, like your iron, B12, folate, calcium. Vitamin D is also one that should be tested. This is because your leaky guy has not been absorbing the proper nutrients.

I hope this has helped you understand a little better. Ask any further questions you need answers to.