My Blood Test Results

[afreeclimber74]

Component-------Your Value-------Standard Range

GLIADIN IGA----->100-------------seefn- U/mL

GLIADIN IGG----->100-------------seefn- U/mL

My doctor claimed that it didn't matter that I was off gluten for almost a year before my blood test. The above results are what he used to give me the diagnosis of having celiac disease. Is he right, or could I have gluten sensitivity or some other related issue?

[mushroom]

Component-------Your Value-------Standard Range

GLIADIN IGA----->100-------------seefn- U/mL

GLIADIN IGG----->100-------------seefn- U/mL

My doctor claimed that it didn't matter that I was off gluten for almost a year before my blood test. The above results are what he used to give me the diagnosis of having celiac disease. Is he right, or could I have gluten sensitivity or some other related issue?

Do you have a copy of the report? What did the footnote say? Those numbers look high.

[DonaldandAlanda Evans]

Those numbers look really high for someone who has been off gluten for a year. When I was diagnosed my gliadin IGA was 32 and my IGG was 66.......and I was eating gluten regularly. (also had positive TTG & endomysium).

[ravenwoodglass]

Those are pretty hign numbers. I would accept the celiac diagnosis and look for where you have gluten sneaking in.

[afreeclimber74]

Do you have a copy of the report? What did the footnote say? Those numbers look high.

The lab results were all emailed to me. There is no footnote or other info beyond what I cut and pasted into my post above. Maybe there's a footnote on the version that my doctor received.

Could those high numbers have been from a recent gluten intake, although small? There were times when I messed up, maybe even a time near the test date, but I was well into the gluten-free diet. Maybe I'm getting small doses of gluten and don't know it...

[nora-n]

I would think there has been constant exposure. Just my thoughts.

[afreeclimber74]

According to my doctor, my test results only indicate that I have a "bad case" of celiac, meaning that the high level of antibodies shows that my body has had a really strong reaction to gluten, that I am extremely sensitive.

He also stated that the level of antibodies in no way indicate whether a person is currently eating gluten or not. Once the body produces the antibodies they stay in the system for a really long time (decades) and even gluten intake at the time of the test will not create a spike in the results.

[Roda]

According to my doctor, my test results only indicate that I have a "bad case" of celiac, meaning that the high level of antibodies shows that my body has had a really strong reaction to gluten, that I am extremely sensitive.

He also stated that the level of antibodies in no way indicate whether a person is currently eating gluten or not. Once the body produces the antibodies they stay in the system for a really long time (decades) and even gluten intake at the time of the test will not create a spike in the results.

My gi doc told me that too, but I insisted on another tTg. It went down from 78 (I think) to 10 after 6 months gluten free. It is now down to 6. My AGA and AGG are still slightly elevated so I had to look at possible contamination. The doctor is wrong!! Theoretically, if you are not exposed to gluten you shouldn't have antibodies.

[ravenwoodglass]

According to my doctor, my test results only indicate that I have a "bad case" of celiac, meaning that the high level of antibodies shows that my body has had a really strong reaction to gluten, that I am extremely sensitive.

He also stated that the level of antibodies in no way indicate whether a person is currently eating gluten or not. Once the body produces the antibodies they stay in the system for a really long time (decades) and even gluten intake at the time of the test will not create a spike in the results.

Your doctor is wrong. The antibody tests are often used after we have gone gluten free to see if gluten is sneaking in somewhere. The antibody levels will drop the longer you are gluten free and for some of us they can drop pretty quickly. That's why we have to be eating gluten when we are tested.

You do appear to have gluten sneaking in. Have you checked all meds and supplements? Are you being careful about Cross Contamination in your home and when you eat out? Have you deglutened your kitchen? Have you gotten any relief from your symptoms?

[afreeclimber74]

At the time of my initial blood test I was concerned that having been gluten-free for 8 months would cause a false negative result, because I had read everywhere that I needed to be eating gluten regularly for the test to work. But, my doctor has insisted all along that once a celiac person's body creates the antibodies they stay around forever "like when someone who has been exposed to the flu, etc or has had an immunization."

My test results literally read ">100" for both IGA and IGG, but don't give an actual number.

I really don't think I'm eating any gluten by accident. If I am, then it's from cross contamination in the foods I buy from the store and I don't know it. I read all labels, but I know in this country it's no guarantee.

What should I tell my doctor? Should I ask for another blood test to see if I'm getting gluten'd. What are the other tests besides IGA/IGG?

Thanks!

[Jestgar]

......my doctor has insisted all along that once a celiac person's body creates the antibodies they stay around forever "like when someone who has been exposed to the flu, etc or has had an immunization."

Not true. What stays around for a long time (not forever) are the cells that know how to make that antibody. Every time you are re-exposed to the illness you have a new antibody response and make new memory cells. The reason no one is immune to small pox any more is because eradication of the disease meant that no one ever received those tiny immune boosting exposures, and the memory cells were lost over time.

I really don't think I'm eating any gluten by accident.

I think you probably are. This is the test to determine if you are still being exposed.

[nora-n]

No, no, no.

I know of only one person whose antibodies stayed around for years, and hers finally went down after she went on an even stricter diet, the SCD diet.

In also know of two children whose antibodies did not go much down, but they were IgG antibodies , and those are known to take over a year to go down sometimes.

And, one child with persistent antibodies turned out to have diabetes, the autoimmune kind.

One person suddenly had positive antibodies (ttg IgA) and she found out it was because she had started to feed wild birds with bird seed once a week. Berore and after, her antibodies were negative.