Will Being Gluten Free Prior To Celiac Panel Blood Work Affect The Results?

[lovemydog]

Not sure if this is a stupid question or not, but I have to go for blood work this week and I've been gluten free for a month now and feeling much better. My biopsy from the endoscopy came back negative but I have been feeling 100% better since eliminating gluten. Will that affect my blood work? I only ask because I've read before that some autoimmune disorder blood tests can come back negative if it's in remission (like RA).

Thanks for any info.

[psawyer]

Yes, being gluten-free will definitely affect test results.

The immune system produces antibodies in response to gluten. The blood tests look for those antibodies. No gluten means no antibodies and a negative test result.

The antibodies damage the villi. The endoscopy looks for that damage. Over time, without the antibodies attacking, the villi heal.

[lovemydog]

Yes, being gluten-free will definitely affect test results.

The immune system produces antibodies in response to gluten. The blood tests look for those antibodies. No gluten means no antibodies and a negative test result.

The antibodies damage the villi. The endoscopy looks for that damage. Over time, without the antibodies attacking, the villi heal.

thank you so much! so i guess i should pig out on some normal pizza and pasta a few days before my blood work? lol or is it more complex than that?

[psawyer]

The usual advice is that you need to be eating somewhere between 2 and 4 slices of bread (or equivalent) daily for a long period as a minimum. A few days isn't likely to be enough. I have heard two to three months mentioned. Since you have only been gluten-free for a month, there may be enough antibodies left for the test to find them. I don't think there are exact times and quantities, just that more increases the likelihood of a positive.

[KimKF]

Not sure if this is a stupid question or not, but I have to go for blood work this week and I've been gluten free for a month now and feeling much better. My biopsy from the endoscopy came back negative but I have been feeling 100% better since eliminating gluten. Will that affect my blood work? I only ask because I've read before that some autoimmune disorder blood tests can come back negative if it's in remission (like RA).

Thanks for any info.

How long did it take for you to feel better? Daughter (23yo) is going through diagnosis process right now. Chronic Diarrhea, some nausea, not hungry, bloating, fatty stools, etc.. for two weeks, Gastro issues for years. Went as gluten free as a novice can for the last 2 to 3 days? So many sites have people saying they saw an immediate result. I have suspected Celiac for the past couple of years. It wasn't until this bout of diarrhea that it pushed us to test.