If Someone Has No Symptoms...

[Marie1976]

I suspect I got celiac from my dad's side of the family (he's Irish), so I convinced him to ask his doc about getting the blood test. He said his doctor told him that if he isn't having symptoms that it doesn't matter if he has it or not. So he didn't test him for it.

I was under the impression that even if you have no symptoms that it still damages your body. Don't you have to stop eating gluten if you have celiac, even if you're not having symptoms? Why would his doctor not test him for it? (I told him he should get a second opinion but I think he's satisfied with the doctor's opinion because it gets him off the hook for eating gluten-free!)

[eatmeat4good]

If family members are postive, the rest of the family should be tested. But that is in the medical literature or on Celiac.com. It hasn't hit the medical community. Dr.'s know very little about Celiac. Your Dad would have to tell them that he wants to be tested because a family member has Celiac. Depending on the Dr. he may have to be very convincing and insist. Lot's of people have it and don't test positive. And lot's of people have it and don't have symptoms. And lot's of people have it, but can't convince their Dr. to test them. But the only ones with the diagnosis are those who tested positive through blood or biopsy. Yes that leaves a lot of people undiagnosed, but that is as good as you get in this day and age. Unless he finds a Dr. who is knowledgeable about Celiac, or convinces his Dr. to test him, he isn't likely to find out. You are absolutely right that Celiacs can be asymptomatic, silent Celiac, and that all family members should be tested. A lot of Dr.'s still think you have to have classic symptoms, when in fact there are many different symptoms that can present as Celiac, and they are not necessarily the "classic" symptoms. Bottom line is his Dr. is ignorant of Celiac, if he doesn't think your Dad should be tested.