Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Is It Common To Have False Positive Test Results?

beebee07

Recommended Posts

beebee07 Rookie
beebee07
Posted

I have just had my EMA and tTG come back positive a week ago. I am scheduled for an endoscopy at the end of this week. How likely is it that my two test results are false positives? I asked the hospital physician if that could be the case and he said no, there is a 90 something percent accurate result with those two tests. However, when my GP received the report from the hospital physician it said that it is possible to have a false positive because there are other diseases/conditions that mimic Celiacs. I am a bit confused. I have read that it is common to have false negatives and a negative biopsy result. Any thoughts much appreciated.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

False negatives are common on both blood tests and biopsies, but false positives are rare. When a positive is "false" it does not mean there is nothing wrong, it means that something other than celiac disease is the root cause of the problem. Two false positives are quite unlikely.

The EMA test is the most accurate blood test for celiac disease, and false positives on that test are very rare.

beebee07 Rookie
beebee07
Posted
  • Author

False negatives are common on both blood tests and biopsies, but false positives are rare. When a positive is "false" it does not mean there is nothing wrong, it means that something other than celiac disease is the root cause of the problem. Two false positives are quite unlikely.

The EMA test is the most accurate blood test for celiac disease, and false positives on that test are very rare.

Thanks for your response. From what I understand a false tTG positive could be due to other auto immune conditions or heart and liver issues. Given I had all my thyroid bloods done, liver (plus three scans of the liver: ct, mri and ultra sound) and pretty much every blood test under then sun, I would find it hard to believe the false positive for the tTG is correct. Of course I am no doctor so I guess I will have to wait and see ;)

Thanks again for your response. Much appreciated.

MitziG Enthusiast
MitziG
Posted

EMA is specific for celiac. You have celiac disease. Welcome to the board!

squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

Welcome to the board Beebee.

MistyRG Apprentice
MistyRG
Posted

I posted a similar question a couple weeks ago . . . my version of grasping at straws!!! I was told by my doctor that with the EMA positive, he would be shocked if I don't have a positive biopsy. It is Celiac specific test (as others mentioned).

Welcome . . .

beebee07 Rookie
beebee07
Posted
  • Author

I posted a similar question a couple weeks ago . . . my version of grasping at straws!!! I was told by my doctor that with the EMA positive, he would be shocked if I don't have a positive biopsy. It is Celiac specific test (as others mentioned).

Welcome . . .

Thanks for the welcomes ;)

I think I very well may be grasping at straws too MistyRG. I don't know wether mine are strong or weak positives. I asked the doctor for the numbers and he fobbed me off. I have my endoscopy this Friday but have been gluten free for a week on the recommendation of the doctor who gave me my test results. I am very conflicted about this as I know that it is much better to be on gluten when you have the biopsy but the gastroenterologist said I would be fine as it will only have been 10 days gluten free. I am wondering if I am having some gluten withdrawl. Today I felt so depressed and anxious and cried all day which is not common for me.

Thanks for the feedback.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

That's gluten withdrawal starting to show beebee.

beebee07 Rookie
beebee07
Posted
  • Author

That's gluten withdrawal starting to show beebee.

Can the withdrawl flare old symptoms? Thanks squirmingitch.

squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

Can the withdrawl flare old symptoms? Thanks squirmingitch.

Well, yes, sort of. When you go through the w/d you get all kinds of weird stuff happening to you. When I went through it, it was like everything I had been experiencing before going gluten-free got more pronounced. But I didn't have much in the way of GI symptoms as I have dh & we often have little to no or much milder GI symptoms. But others say their GI symptoms go all over the place. And it does take a while for your body to settle down. It's been going through years of abuse. It doesn't heal overnight. Many people take a good 6 months for things to really settle down. I mean the GI stuff will be there & then not & then start up again. The body has to go through a whole re-setting process.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,171
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    kyle68j
    Newest Member
    kyle68j
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • DAR girl
      Celiac and allergic to common subs and adds in prepared foods

      By DAR girl · Posted

      Looking for help sourcing gluten-free products that do not contain potato or corn derived ingredients. I have other autoimmune conditions (Psoriatic Arthritis and Sjogrens) so I’m looking for prepared foods as I have fatigue and cannot devote a lot of time to baking my own treats. 
    • Scott Adams
      Disregarded

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I am so sorry you're going through this. It's completely understandable to feel frustrated, stressed, and disregarded after such a long and difficult health journey. It's exhausting to constantly advocate for yourself, especially when you're dealing with so many symptoms and positive diagnoses like SIBO, while still feeling unwell. The fact that you have been diligently following the diet without relief is a clear sign that something else is going on, and your doctors should be investigating other causes or complications, not dismissing your very real suffering. 
    • Oldturdle
      Paying for my own Celiac screening at WalkInLab so a positive result doesn’t become part of my medical history

      By Oldturdle · Posted

      It is just so sad that health care in the United States has come to this.  Health insurance should be available to everyone, not just the healthy or the rich.  My heart goes out to you.  I would not hesitate to have the test and pay for it myself.  My big concern would be how you could keep the results truly private.  I am sure that ultimately, you could not.  A.I. is getting more and more pervasive, and all data is available somewhere.  I don't know if you could give a fake name, or pay for your test with cash.  I certainly would not disclose any positive results on a private insurance application.  As I understand it, for an official diagnosis, an MD needs to review your labs and make the call.  If you end up in the ER, or some other situation, just request a gluten free diet, and say it is because you feel better when you don't eat gluten.      Hang in there, though.  Medicare is not that far away for you, and it will remove a lot of stress from your health care concerns.  You will even be able to "come out of the closet" about being Celiac!
    • plumbago
      Paying for my own Celiac screening at WalkInLab so a positive result doesn’t become part of my medical history

      By plumbago · Posted

      Yes, I've posted a few times about two companies: Request a Test and Ulta Labs. Also, pretty much we can all request any test we want (with the possible exception of the N protein Covid test and I'm sure a couple of others) with Lab Corp (or Pixel by Lab Corp) and Quest. I much prefer Lab Corp for their professionalism, ease of service and having it together administratively, at least in DC. And just so you know, Request a Test uses Lab Corp and Quest anyway, while Ulta Labs uses only Quest. Ulta Labs is cheaper than Request a Test, but I am tired of dealing with Quest, so I don't use them so much.
    • Scott Adams
      Does Dailymed.nlm.nih.gov site have filters for gluten?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      PS - I think you meant this site, but I don't believe it has been updated in years: http://glutenfreedrugs.com/ so it is best to use: You can search this site for prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
×
×
  • Create New...