Jump to content

  • 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

Blood Tests......what Is Correct?

bobtom

Recommended Posts

bobtom Rookie
bobtom
Posted

My 11 year old son has been complaining of stomach aches, off and on, for the last 8-10 months. Pediatrician ordered gliadin IGA (deamidated peptide) which came back 67 (<20 normal). Referred to GI and he said that test isn't very reliable and ordered a tTG IGA and total serum IGA (which I am assuming is normal since he had an elevated gliadin to begin with). I was under the impression from what I have been reading that the gliadin test he had done is pretty reliable. Just wondering thoughts on that and is it common to have that test be high and the tTG IGA be low? If so, what would that indicate? This is all very confusing. Thank you!!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


nvsmom Community Regular
nvsmom
Posted

I think gliadin IgA is considered innaccurate because it has a higher false negative rate than ttg IgA... I think.

I think gliadin IgA indicates celiac. If it has a low specificity (meaning it could test positive for other problems) I would have the GI or pediatrician explain what those possible causes are instead of brushing it off as he he did. :huh:

He sounds like the type of GI that you'll need to see with a list of documented info on the test results to get the doctor on board. Your son is way above normal...what else does he think it is?

Good luck.

GottaSki Mentor
GottaSki
Posted

From what I understand that your son's high DGP IgA indicates Celiac Disease even if the tTG IgA is currently negative.

Here is one journal article that talks about DGP IgA as a useful tool in children because the DGP antibodies may show up before tTG antibodies in blood and is better at monitoring compliance once gluten free.

Open Original Shared Link

It is a small study - used this to illustrate my point. There are other studys with much larger sampling groups that you can find with a simple google search.

Your situation is the exactly the reason doctors should run the ENTIRE Celiac Blood Panel when there are symptoms in children. Looking at one test at a time prolongs an already difficult diagnosis process.

It was correct for your GI to order more Celiac blood tests, but it looks like your still hasn't had an Endomysial IgA or any IgG testing. Did the GI order any nutrient tests? Does he have direct experience with Celiac Disease? This can make a big difference if you decide to proceed with endoscopy/biopsy.

I have the same question as nvsmom - if the GI doesn't think the DGP IgA indicates Celiac Disease, what does he think the test means?

bobtom Rookie
bobtom
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for your replies. He did not order any nutrient tests and he didnt offer any explanation to the high result if it isn't celiac. He pretty much blew off that he thought it could be celiac, but he said we needed to "contend" with the high DGP. He did very briefly mention that if the tTG comes back negative, he may do a biopsy, but he said it so quickly and brushed over it and on to other things. My son had his tTG drawn this weekend, I will let you know what is was. I am very interested to see what it is and where we proceed from there. Can and elevated DGP indicate anything else?? Thanks for your time!

frieze Community Regular
frieze
Posted

My 11 year old son has been complaining of stomach aches, off and on, for the last 8-10 months. Pediatrician ordered gliadin IGA (deamidated peptide) which came back 67 (<20 normal). Referred to GI and he said that test isn't very reliable and ordered a tTG IGA and total serum IGA (which I am assuming is normal since he had an elevated gliadin to begin with). I was under the impression from what I have been reading that the gliadin test he had done is pretty reliable. Just wondering thoughts on that and is it common to have that test be high and the tTG IGA be low? If so, what would that indicate? This is all very confusing. Thank you!!

the IgA version is more sensitive, but less specific, than the IgG version. So they should be ordered together.

GottaSki Mentor
GottaSki
Posted

Can and elevated DGP indicate anything else?? Thanks for your time!

Gliadin is one of two proteins in gluten. Upon digestion proteins are broken down into peptides. A positive DGP IgA shows that antibodies are being created to fight these peptides specific to gluten.

I don't know of anything other than a problem with gluten being the cause of a positive DGP IgA. Anyone else?

Archived

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

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Kimmy88
      - Kimmy88 commented on Scott Adams's article in Winter 2026 Issue
      8

      Can You Really Trust Gluten-Free Menus? What Every Celiac Needs to Know Before Eating Out

      Thanks this is helpful!
    2. xxnonamexx
      - xxnonamexx replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      2

      Fermented foods, Kefir, Kombucha?

      very interesting thanks for the info
    3. Florence Lillian
      - Florence Lillian replied to lmemsm's topic in Gluten-Free Recipes & Cooking Tips
      13

      gluten free cookie recipes

      More cookie recipes ...thanks so much for the heads-up Scott. One can never have too many. Cheers, Florence.
    4. Russ H
      - Russ H replied to Charlie1946's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      15

      Severe severe mouth pain

      Hi Charlie, You sound like you have been having a rough time of it. Coeliac disease can cause a multitude of skin, mouth and throat problems. Mouth ulcers and enamel defects are well known but other oral conditions are also more common in people with coeliac disease: burning tongue, inflamed and swollen tongue, difficulty swallowing, redness and crusting...
    5. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to Charlie1946's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      15

      Severe severe mouth pain

      Hi @Charlie1946 You are very welcome. I agree wholeheartedly with @knitty kitty: "I wish doctors would check for nutritional deficiencies and gastrointestinal issues before prescribing antidepressants." I had a type of tingling/sometimes pain in my cheek about 2 years after my diagnosis. I noticed it after standing in cold wind, affecting...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,916
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Ykat
    Newest Member
    Ykat
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • xxnonamexx
      Fermented foods, Kefir, Kombucha?

      By xxnonamexx · Posted

      very interesting thanks for the info  
    • Florence Lillian
      gluten free cookie recipes

      By Florence Lillian · Posted

      More cookie recipes ...thanks so much for the heads-up Scott.  One can never have too many.  Cheers, Florence.
    • Russ H
      Severe severe mouth pain

      By Russ H · Posted

      Hi Charlie, You sound like you have been having a rough time of it. Coeliac disease can cause a multitude of skin, mouth and throat problems. Mouth ulcers and enamel defects are well known but other oral conditions are also more common in people with coeliac disease: burning tongue, inflamed and swollen tongue, difficulty swallowing, redness and crusting in the mouth corners, and dry mouth to name but some. The link below is for paediatric dentistry but it applies to adults too.  Have you had follow up for you coeliac disease to check that your anti-tTG2 antibodies levels have come down? Are you certain that you not being exposed to significant amounts of gluten? Are you taking a PPI for your Barrett's oesophagus? Signs of changes to the tongue can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron, B12 and B9 (folate) deficiency. I would make sure to take a good quality multivitamin every day and make sure to take it with vitamin C containing food - orange juice, broccoli, cabbage etc.  Sebaceous hyperplasia is common in older men and I can't find a link to coeliac disease.   Russ.   Oral Manifestations in Pediatric Patients with Coeliac Disease – A Review Article
    • cristiana
      Severe severe mouth pain

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hi @Charlie1946 You are very welcome.   I agree wholeheartedly with @knitty kitty:  "I wish doctors would check for nutritional deficiencies and gastrointestinal issues before prescribing antidepressants." I had a type of tingling/sometimes pain in my cheek about 2 years after my diagnosis.  I noticed it after standing in cold wind, affecting  me after the event - for example, the evening after standing outside, I would feel either tingling or stabbing pain in my cheek.   I found using a neck roll seemed to help, reducing caffeine, making sure I was well-hydrated, taking B12 and C vitamins and magnesium.  Then when the lockdowns came and I was using a facemask I realised that this pain was almost entirely eliminated by keeping the wind off my face.  I think looking back I was suffering from a type of nerve pain/damage.  At the time read that coeliacs can suffer from nerve damage caused by nutritional deficiencies and inflammation, and there was hope that as bodywide healing took place, following the adoption of a strict gluten free diet and addressing nutritional deficiencies, recovery was possible.   During this time, I used to spend a lot of time outdoors with my then young children, who would be playing in the park, and I'd be sheltering my face with an upturned coat collar, trying to stay our of the cold wind!  It was during this time a number of people with a condition called Trigeminal Neuralgia came up to me and introduced themselves, which looking back was nothing short of miraculous as I live in a pretty sparsely populated rural community and it is quite a rare condition.   I met a number of non-coeliacs who had suffered with this issue  and all bar one found relief in taking medication like amitriptyline which are type of tricyclic anti-depressant.   They were not depressed, here their doctors had prescribed the drugs as pain killers to address nerve pain, hence I mention here.  Nerve pain caused by shingles is often treated with this type of medication in the UK too, so it is definitely worth bearing in mind if standard pain killers like aspirin aren't working. PS  How to make a neck roll with a towel: https://www.painreliefwellness.com.au/2017/10/18/cervical-neck-roll/#:~:text=1.,Very simple. 
    • Scott Adams
      gluten free cookie recipes

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      We just added a ton of new recipes here: https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/gluten-free-recipes/gluten-free-dessert-recipes-pastries-cakes-cookies-etc/gluten-free-cookie-recipes/
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.