Just Wondering?

[MrsMcC]

Hi Folks

I am in the UK currently waiting for the results of my celiac blood screen. I was told the results would take approx 2 weeks!

Just wondering, what do they actually do to the blood when testing it as it seems strange for the results to take so long?

When I spoke to the receptionist at the surgery she said the Celiac tests always take longer than other blood tests, but didnt say why, but said it took her months to get her children diagnosed (sigh)...

In the UK according to website Coeliac.org.uk it depends on the lab, which test they do (they can do either or both) I have no idea what tests they are doing on my blood!

Tissue transglutaminase antibody ('tTGA')

Endomysial antibody ('EMA')

And sometimes they will test for IgA. wow this is confusing! Why don't they just test for all and have done with it in one go? (I am so new to this so probably a totally silly question!)

I think whatever the result, I will ask directly what has been tested, otherwise I could get a negative dx without knowing if all options were explored. My, this is tough!

Thanks all!

[MitziG]

I can't tell you what they do it- my guess is they have to send it to a specific lab as I know in the States only a few labs do certain celiac tests, so it can take a bit longer.

Make sure you request a copy of your lab work actually, and post your results here. We can tell you if any tests were left out. It is a good idea to have your initial results anyway, so you have a baseline down the road if issues are not resolving on a gluten-free diet.

[MrsMcC]

Thanks, that's a good idea! From what I have read here, there are a lot of people who know a lot about interpreting results! Which is great, because you usually get just a "negative" or "positive" but things are not always so cut and dried!