Blood Results

[Ilovehorses]

I've not had the results of my celiac one yet but I called my GP this morning. The receptionist said that my other results have come back ie anaemia/thyroid/liver and kidney function and my doctor has looked at them, because I havn't had a phone call yet they must be fine.

So could it still be celiac, even if my routine bloods are fine???

[ravenwoodglass]

Simple answer, yes.

[JoshB]

So... this isn't a popular viewpoint on this forum, but as far as I can tell it is the viewpoint backed up by actual evidence: If you test negative on the blood test you almost certainly do not have celiac disease. There is a 1-2% false negative rate, but these should be flagged by a very low "total serum" or "total IgA". Your doctor should have examined that possibility when he read your lab report. Technically there's also the possibility of a lab mistake -- judging by the testimonials on this forums where several people say that they had completely normal blood tests but abnormal endoscopy this seems to be distressingly common. For the possibility of lab mistake, I've read some recommendations that the test should be done again at another lab when there is very good reason to expect celiac disease.

The most common "false negative" reason really seems to be doctor interpretation. It wouldn't hurt to look at your lab yourself. My doctor, for instance, tried to tell me that although I was high everywhere else, since I had "normal total IgA" he wasn't sure I had celiac disease... So yeah, your doctor could be a moron -- or to be kinder, could be inexperienced in reading celiac labs and dealing with celiac disease. You could also possibly have had a mistake at the lab, or you could possibly be so unique that the tests don't work for you because your body has found a way to have celiac disease in a completely different manor from everyone else in the world... but that's probably not the case.

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[ravenwoodglass]

So... this isn't a popular viewpoint on this forum, but as far as I can tell it is the viewpoint backed up by actual evidence: If you test negative on the blood test you almost certainly do not have celiac disease. There is a 1-2% false negative rate, but these should be flagged by a very low "total serum" or "total IgA". Your doctor should have examined that possibility when he read your lab report. Technically there's also the possibility of a lab mistake -- judging by the testimonials on this forums where several people say that they had completely normal blood tests but abnormal endoscopy this seems to be distressingly common. For the possibility of lab mistake, I've read some recommendations that the test should be done again at another lab when there is very good reason to expect celiac disease.

The most common "false negative" reason really seems to be doctor interpretation. It wouldn't hurt to look at your lab yourself. My doctor, for instance, tried to tell me that although I was high everywhere else, since I had "normal total IgA" he wasn't sure I had celiac disease... So yeah, your doctor could be a moron -- or to be kinder, could be inexperienced in reading celiac labs and dealing with celiac disease. You could also possibly have had a mistake at the lab, or you could possibly be so unique that the tests don't work for you because your body has found a way to have celiac disease in a completely different manor from everyone else in the world... but that's probably not the case.

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The posters question was "So could it still be celiac, even if my routine bloods are fine???" as the OP has not gotten the results of the celiac panel.

There is also still much to be learned about celiac and gluten intolerance. My doctors trusting my false negative tests cost me years of my life and permanent damage. IMHO the number of false negatives is much higher than that article suggests and is borne out by the number of folks who have had negative bloods but positive biopsy.

My current GI has anyone whose symptoms suggest celiac go on the diet to see if it helps no matter what their test results are.

[pain*in*my*gut]

I've not had the results of my celiac one yet but I called my GP this morning. The receptionist said that my other results have come back ie anaemia/thyroid/liver and kidney function and my doctor has looked at them, because I havn't had a phone call yet they must be fine.

So could it still be celiac, even if my routine bloods are fine???

There are many autoimmune diseases that can still be present in the absence of positive blood work. It's called being "sero-negative" for that particular disease. Celiac is one of them. Is it likely? No. But gluten intolerance is very possible, and your bloodwork will not necessarily tell you if you have that.

I am reading a good book right now about non-Celiac gluten intolerance (not sure if I can post the name of the book or not)?. It has really helped me understand that Celiac disease is only one manifestation of gluten intolerance. Unfortunately, many doctors won't admit there is a problem unless you have positive tests for Celiac. It's a shame, really.