Blood Tests Accurate?

[danzn16]

my chiropractor thinks i have a gluten sensitivity and wants me to take a blood test to see. the tests are covered by insurance and are expensive. i went to an allergist/immunologist and she said that they did not off allergy blood tests, only skin tests and only test for allergies that are life threatening, as in throat closes after eating the food, etc. she said the blood tests for allergy sensitivities are inaccurate and a waste of money. any opinions here? how were you diagnosed? was it a blood test? what doctor gave the test? was is covered by insurance? thanks!

[2johndeereboys]

Hi there!

I am new here also but have done A LOT of research on this very topic!! I think that if you get a positive blood test they are something like 90% accurate. But you have to keep eating gluten so it is in your system before you have your blood drawn!

I think that it is the negatives that are inaccurate. False negatives are common with Celiac Disease

Hope this helps and like I said I am new to this (still waiting on my Celiac Panel results) and I know someone who knows more will be along shortly to better answer your question!!

Take Care!!

[ravenwoodglass]

Celiac is not an allergy so it won't show up with allergy tests. Your regular doctor can do a celiac panel. However they have a false negative rate of 20 to 30 percent. False positives are virtually unheard of so it the panel is positive you need to be gluten free. If celiac is suspected stay on gluten until the testing is finished and then after all testing is done go gluten free for a couple of months no matter what the test results.

There are some allergists who will deal with intolerances but you need to ask on the phone before you make the appointment. My allergist saved my life by putting me on a very strict elimination diet. When gluten was added back in I had a severe reaction and he then referred me back to my GI doctor who demanded another challenge. The result of that second challenge was an even more severe reaction but I finally got diagnosed. Although I was a 'test book celiac' I don't show up in blood work so that delayed my diagnosis for many years as all my doctors trusted those tests to absolutely rule it out.