Interpreting Lab Results

[jmrogers31]

Hello everyone, just hoping to get some advice from the experts (I consider this forum the experts, not the doctors). I got my lab back today with mixed results. After 2 months gluten free my IgA came back in the normal range. I was told 2 months wasn't long enough to skew the results that much. But my genetic results were interesting:

HLA-DQB1 Moleculor Analysis, Allele 1 0201

HLA-DQB1 Moleculor Analysis, Allele 2 0302

Serologic Equivalent: HLA-DQ 2,3 (subtype 2,8)

From what I read Allele 1 is one parent and Allele 2 is another so I have two copies of DQ subtype 2 or DQ2 and DQ subtype 8 or DQ8. But, my question is if my lab came back negative for sensitivity is genetic makeup alone enough to cause me to be sensitive? I do feel much better on a gluten free diet, but I tested negative for sensitivity. It looks like I am just highly genetically predisposed to being gluten intolerant. Would this be enough to cause you to stick to the diet for good? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[ravenwoodglass]

Even on a full gluten diet some of us show up as a false negative. 2 months gluten-free is definately long enough to skew the results into a false negative. The most important thing is how your body is reacting to the diet. If you are feeling better and saw a resolution of symptoms gluten free and become ill when you injest gluten then you are wise to remain gluten free. You do have the option of going back on gluten for 3 months and then being retested but again you could still have a false negative. The genetic tests can be part of the diagnosis process but in and of themselves they are not diagnostic.

[jmrogers31]

Thanks Raven. I do have another question. My Mother shows signs of gluten intolerance. I was wondering if these results meant that she for sure passed a gene on to me. I told her that I believed it did as it looked like I got both the DQ2 and DQ8 from both parents. Is that true based on these results? I really don't know anything about genetics and can't read this. If so, maybe my parents should consider a test.

HLA-DQB1 Moleculor Analysis, Allele 1 0201

HLA-DQB1 Moleculor Analysis, Allele 2 0302

Serologic Equivalent: HLA-DQ 2,3 (subtype 2,8)

[Skylark]

Your lab came back negative for celiac disease, not gluten sensitivity. There is no reliable test for gluten sensitivity other than a positive response to the gluten-free diet. If you feel better off gluten, you are sensitive to it. Your genetics support your gluten sensitivity and suggest that you could eventually develop celiac disease if you keep eating gluten and get unlucky. Not everyone with DQ2 0201 and DQ8 develop celiac -- in fact most don't -- but gluten sensitivity is the first step in the process.

You get one gene from your father and one from your mother, so both of your parents definitely have a celiac-associated gene. There is no way to tell which parent gave you DQ2 and which gave you DQ8 from your test. If they have the sort of health problems that lead you to suspect celiac, they should be tested for it. After testing is done, you might encourage your mother to give the diet a go. She might be pleasantly surprised.