Celiac Test Results

[mmarksbury]

I recently had two different Celiac tests at Kaiser, with two different results. The doctors weren't very helpful in interpreting them.

Test #1 - Taken after eating moderate amounts of gluten (2-3 times a week for weeks leading up to test)

TISSUE TRANSGLUTAMINASE IgG 0.16

Tissue transglutaminase IgA 0.94

For both of these tests, < 0.90 is normal. Because I tested at 0.94, the doctor said I was borderline and that I should limit my gluten intake.

Test #2 - Taken about a month later after heavily eating wheat for a few weeks (5-7 times per week)

TISSUE TRANSGLUTAMINASE IgG 0.14

Tissue transglutaminase IgA 1.33

After the second test, the doctor referred me to GI for an endoscope, which I declined. I'd rather just adopt a gluten-free diet than take a risk of internal injury from the edoscope. I did ask the doctor about the severity of the Celiac test result, thinking a jump from .94 to 1.33 was significant and she informed me that my result was not at all severe.

A few questions...

1. Does anyone know the range for this test? Do I fall at the bottom, middle, upper?

2. Is this indicative of a Gluten Sensitivity and not Celiac?

3. Is it possible that I have something else going on like Leaky Gut or IBS that might be causing the tests to come out as they did?

I have no problem going gluten-free, I already have, but I want to understand these results better. While I think gluten-free is a healthier way to live, I want to know if I need to be obsessed with cross contamination or if I can indulge in that rare gluten treat.

[MitziG]

Ttg can occasionally be elevated if you have an9ther autoimmune disease. Rather than undergo endoscopy, you should request that your doctor do the rest of the celiac panel. You need deamidated gluten peptides, endomysial antibodies and a total serum IGA. These tests will give you a better clue of if you are celiac. If you are even "a little bit celiac" you need to be 100% gluten free, not "gluten lite" the other tests I listed are very specific for celiac and will likely give you some answers.

[nvsmom]

The following quote is from the Mayo website below:

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The finding of tissue transglutaminase (tTG) IgG antibodies may indicate a diagnosis of celiac disease, particularly in individuals who are IgA deficient. For individuals with moderately to strongly positive results, a diagnosis of celiac disease is possible and the patient should undergo a biopsy to confirm the diagnosis.

If patients strictly adhere to a gluten-free diet, the unit value of tTG-IgG antibodies should begin to decrease within 6 to 12 months of onset of dietary therapy.

Since you don't want the endoscopy, you should probably request more tests like MitziG said. Ttg IgG is not often relied upon unless you are low in IgA because it's not a very sensitive test; it's not overly specific to celiac either. EMA is the test that is most specific to celiac (almost all people with high EMA are celiac); ttg IgA is about 95% specific to celiac.

You have elevated ttg IgG levels so it would appear your gut is being attacked... something is definitely up. I would guess earlier stages of celiac (but that is just my guess). You need to gluten-free unless you pursue further testing. Elevated levels show damage is being done.

Also, ttg is found in various tissue throughout the body including the skin and nerves. If your antibodies, along with the gluten trigger, start attacking ttg in other parts of the body, you could end up with other problems. Mine also triggered a blood disorder where I couldn't clot and I almost bled to death. Others end up with DH or gluten ataxia... so many things can get thrown off!

This article discuses the possible link of gluten to many problems. It's an older article but the theory makes a lot of sense to me.

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