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Blood Test Results-Help Please


michelley65

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michelley65 Rookie

I just got my results today..can anyone tell me what they mean?

This is what they say..

Tissue Transglutaminase IgG Ab

tTG-IgG Ab <3 <7 U/mL

Reference range

<7 U/ml negative

7-10 U/mL Equivocal

>10 U/mL Positive

Tissue Transglutaminase IgA Ab

tTG IgA Ab <3 <5 U/mL

Reference range

<5 U/mL negative

5-8 U/mL Equivocal

>8 U/mL Positive

The doctors office says its a negative test result..but what does the positive stand for?I was very gluten light prior to this blood work,and almost gluten free for atleast a week..they claim that it didnt matter if I ate gluten or not before the test..but I think that they are wrong.I dont think that they are well educated on celiac disease and just assumed that it didnt matter.I feel wonderful since I stopped eating gluten..thier must be a reason,right?I goofed up on the weekend and ate a meatball that my son had made(frozen).I couldnt figure out why my stomach was so gassy and bloated..and I decided to look at the ingredients(which I should have done before eating it,I know)and sure enough...gluten filled meatballs!!Does this sound like celiac?Or does a gluten sensitivity cause such a quick reaction??Please help!!


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mushroom Proficient

I just got my results today..can anyone tell me what they mean?

This is what they say..

Tissue Transglutaminase IgG Ab

tTG-IgG Ab <3 <7 U/mL

Reference range

<7 U/ml negative

7-10 U/mL Equivocal

>10 U/mL Positive

Tissue Transglutaminase IgA Ab

tTG IgA Ab <3 <5 U/mL

Reference range

<5 U/mL negative

5-8 U/mL Equivocal

>8 U/mL Positive

The doctors office says its a negative test result..but what does the positive stand for?I was very gluten light prior to this blood work,and almost gluten free for atleast a week..they claim that it didnt matter if I ate gluten or not before the test..but I think that they are wrong.I dont think that they are well educated on celiac disease and just assumed that it didnt matter.I feel wonderful since I stopped eating gluten..thier must be a reason,right?I goofed up on the weekend and ate a meatball that my son had made(frozen).I couldnt figure out why my stomach was so gassy and bloated..and I decided to look at the ingredients(which I should have done before eating it,I know)and sure enough...gluten filled meatballs!!Does this sound like celiac?Or does a gluten sensitivity cause such a quick reaction??Please help!!

You are right in asserting your doctor is not well educated in celiac disease (most aren't). You do need to have been consuming gluten solidly for at least 8 weeks prior to testing for the test to be valid. He also did not perform a total serum IGA to ensure that you are an antibody producer; some people aren't and that invalidates the test too.

Your score in both tests was less than 3. According to the lab's reference range, a score of greater than 10 is positive for the IgG, and greater than 8 is positive for the IgA. Both your scores were negative, but to be expected. I am sorry that this testing was a waste of time for you.

A positive reaction to gluten free eating, and a negative reaction after the meatball should convince you that you are intolerant to gluten. It is possible that a biopsy, even at this late stage, might find some damage, but much healing will have already taken place, just as you stop producing antibodies when the gluten is withdrawn. However, you would have to have the biopsy right away and this is probably not possibly and could just as likely be negative. The only way you can find out for sure if you are celiac is to resume eating gluten for 6-8 weeks, and unfortunately even then it is possible to have a false negative test even with the full celiac panel run:

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgA

Anti-Gliadin (AGA) IgG

Anti-Endomysial (EMA) IgA

Anti-Tissue Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA

Total Serum IgA

Another possibility is the Enterolab stool testing which you can order yourself. The antibodies linger in the stool for several months. You can also test for other food intolerances and whether or not you have a genetic predisposition to celiac disease.

One way or another, I hope you get some satisfactory answers.

michelley65 Rookie

Thankyou so much for your help...I wonder why he didnt do the test you mentioned??That really irritates me that he didnt do all that he should do,and being they arent very educated on celiac,I think its time to find another doctor.I don't know if I can eat gluten for three months knowing it might come out negative again.I think I will just stay gluten free and feel good...wether I am celiac or not,I do know that I am atleast gluten sensitive.Thankyou again for your help...you were much more helpful than my doctor!!! Michelle

newgfcali Rookie

Michelle~

If you are still interested in testing, do what mushroom suggested and take the enterolab test. If you are reacting to gluten, the test will pick it up even if you've been gluten light for a while. I was completely gluten free for about 3 months when I took their test and it was still positive. It's very sensitive. They can test anti-gliadin IgA, tTG, malabsorption, and even test your genes to see if you are at risk for celiac. They can also test for casein, yeast, eggs, and soy sensitivities.

michelley65 Rookie

Thanks!I might just do that.Can I get the test from the doctor,or do I have to order it myself?I do remember him giving me some sort of test to take samples last year...but he never explained what it was for..(???)I just asumed it was to test for blood in the stool or something.I wasnt charged for them(maybe my insurance covered them).Are they expensive?And who gets the results?My doctor,or me?This is all so frustrating to me...I know that gluten is a big no-no for my system,but the doctor acts like its nothing.

newgfcali Rookie

You can order yourself and get the results sent to you via email. There's lots of info on their website including pricing. Let's see if I can give you the link without it being changed:

Open Original Shared Link

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