Test Results

[Googles]

I got my test results back from the doctor. All the advice the doctor gave was to stay on the gluten free diet. (lots of help.) So I'm coming to you knowledgeable people for help. My TTG was high at 31. My IGG and IGA were 6 and 10 respectively. Are these good numbers? I have been gluten free for a little over a year. When I was first diagnosed my TTG was over 100 (the lab result wasn't more specific). Is this a good decrease? What do I need to do now? Will it decrease more with time or do I need to work harder to make sure I'm not getting CC'ed? Thanks.

[T.H.]

I'm afraid I'm not so good on the testing numbers, but a number of people here are very knowledgeable, so I'd bet they can help you out.

If the numbers are decreasing, though, that's always good, yeah? And while I know that in some people it can be a slow decrease - I believe some adults can take up to 2 years to heal completely - if it's a bit over a year and you are still not to normal levels (The TTG was too high, yes?) then looking at lowering your gluten load might be helpful.

At the very least, it certainly couldn't hurt.

It's something I've been having to do for my daughter the last few months, when we finally realized she wasn't intolerant to other foods, but was simply having trouble with too much gluten. So, some things we learned in the last bit that might help you lower your gluten levels, if you wish to...

1. Always good to remember that very little is actually gluten free. Our gluten free food actually IS almost all CC'd. It's just in such low amounts that most of the time we're okay with it. However, the reason this can matter is because if you eat enough of these products, because they are not 'zero' gluten you can still get too much gluten if you're not careful. My daughter, for example, can have about one slice of this gluten-free pizza we get, but if she has more than that, she'll get sick, every time.

2. If you aren't too careful about CC, it would probably be a good idea to be more conscious of that, if you're trying to lower your gluten levels. Again, it can't hurt, eh?

3. If you ARE very careful about avoiding CC already, something you may want to investigate is what levels of gluten your favorite gluten-free foods have. Some have <20ppm of gluten, some <10ppm, some <5ppm. Some products aren't tested for gluten levels at all, but are just assumed to be gluten free because no gluten was deliberately added. Which usually means it's best to stay away from them or test them yourself at home. If all your gluten-free foods are <20ppm, then perhaps it would be good to have less of those, and more of the <5 or <10ppm products for a bit, see how it affects you - or doesn't.

Anyway, I hope some of the number folks have some good information on you re: your test results!

[plumbago]

When people use the term "CC" on this forum, what does that mean?

Thanks.

[plumbago]

  On 11/15/2010 at 12:20 AM, Googles said:

I got my test results back from the doctor. All the advice the doctor gave was to stay on the gluten free diet. (lots of help.) So I'm coming to you knowledgeable people for help. My TTG was high at 31. My IGG and IGA were 6 and 10 respectively. Are these good numbers? I have been gluten free for a little over a year. When I was first diagnosed my TTG was over 100 (the lab result wasn't more specific). Is this a good decrease? What do I need to do now? Will it decrease more with time or do I need to work harder to make sure I'm not getting CC'ed? Thanks.

I have been doing a lot of reading on this forum about test results, because I too just got my blood tests back and was very curious about what they meant.(I was diagnosed with celiac disease in May 2010)

I've heard that an antibody is an antibody, regardless of the quantity - FWIW, my levels went down too. I read someone on the forum said that a "weak positive" is still positive and is like being a little bit pregnant.

These were my results.

Deamidated Gliadin Abs, IgA -- 11 ("normal")

Deamidated Gliadin Abs, IgG -- 31 ("abnormal" - moderate to strong positive)

t-Transglutaminase (tTG) IgA -- 5 ("abnormal") -- "weak positive"

t-Transglutaminase (tTG) IgG -- 5 ("normal")

Endomysial Antibody IgA -- Negative 157 ("normal")

The physician who ordered the blood tests for me has not explained any of this to me. In fact he is the one who told me before drawing my blood "once your antibodies are high, they will always be high." I thought about that, and concluded he must be wrong because when I originally got tested for celiac disease (blood-tested), the physician who ordered those tests - a different doc - said "do not STOP eating gluten! because that could affect the results of your tests." So I didn't. I kept eating gluten. Long story short, as every one on here knows, gluten does affect blood tests and antibodies. October doc was incorrect.

I sent the gastroenterologist who conducted my endoscopy the results of October's blood tests. His office assistant called me back in a rush and only said, your results mean that you are still ingesting gluten. End of story, no further conversation.

-Plumbago

[jerseyangel]

  On 11/15/2010 at 1:03 AM, plumbago said:

When people use the term "CC" on this forum, what does that mean?

Thanks.

Here, CC means cross contamination.

[cassP]

  On 11/15/2010 at 12:20 AM, Googles said:

I got my test results back from the doctor. All the advice the doctor gave was to stay on the gluten free diet. (lots of help.) So I'm coming to you knowledgeable people for help. My TTG was high at 31. My IGG and IGA were 6 and 10 respectively. Are these good numbers? I have been gluten free for a little over a year. When I was first diagnosed my TTG was over 100 (the lab result wasn't more specific). Is this a good decrease? What do I need to do now? Will it decrease more with time or do I need to work harder to make sure I'm not getting CC'ed? Thanks.

with a ttg of over 100... and now at 31, i would say that's a strong positive for Celiac. but i dont understand what u mean when u say that ttg was 31, and igg & iga were 6 & 10....

because usually you're tested for TTG Iga &/or TTG Igg... and Antigliadin Iga & Igg... wo what is your igg & iga for ??? antigliadin?? it's not for your ttg right? because the numbers dont add up

and i think that 100 down to 31 is a good decrease- and with time gluten free- that 31 should go down even more..