Celiac Panel Bloodwork, Upper Endoscopy Necessary?

[hspichke]

So, as some of you know I have been searching or a diagnosis for a couple years and it seems this really is it! I had a positive ttg test (I think that is right) a couple weeks ago and some of you suggested I ask for a celiac panel. Dr called back today and said all those blood tests were positive and the next step is do an upper endoscopy to biopsy and confirm as well as see the extent of damage to my intestines. I just wonder if this is necessary? If all my bloodwork is positive and I have numerous symtoms isn't that enough to start a gluten free diet?

[Skylark]

It's up to you. There are a lot of peer-reviewed medical articles saying that people with multiple positive results on the celiac panel don't need an invasive procedure, and that if you go on the diet and your antibodies go away there is no question of celiac disease. You could talk to your doctor about retesting antibodies in six months.

The endoscopy gives useful information, as it can take a couple years to recover from bad celiac damage. You would know how patient you need to be. It can also be confusing as celiac damage can be really patchy and sometimes it gets missed entirely with the biopsies.