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Question About Husband's Test Results

nicolebeth

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nicolebeth Apprentice
nicolebeth
Posted

My husband has two siblings with celiac. Our son (as discussed elsewhere here!) has presumed celiac/non-celiac gluten intolerance. Anyway, my husband recently had the tests rerun (he was negative three years ago). The tTG IgA is still negative: result was 4 and it should be less than 20. (Three years ago, he was just told that he was less than 20.)

His Ferritin was at the low end of normal. His B12 was also at the low end of normal. His Vitamin D was high. It was 95, with the range being 15-75. His total iron binding capacity was high. The hemoglobin, RBC, and WBC were a tad low. Everything else was essentially normal and well within range.

I don't know if the doctor is going to run down the reason for high Vitamin D, or even call to say that he doesn't have celiac. As far as other autoimmune conditions, my husband also has Raynaud's.

As far as celiac tests, this doctor said that the EMA is highly unreliable so wouldn't use it, and that the DGP is an "experimental" test so he wouldn't give it to him. He ran the Gliadin AB IgA and IgG, which were also both in the normal range. My husband is happy to continue to eat gluten--or not. It's not a huge deal. But, he was hoping for some information regarding why the EMA and DGP are either helpful or not experimental. It does seem like, with a normal tTG (and normal total IgA) that he probably doesn't have celiac at this time.

If anyone has some thoughts on any of this, we'd appreciate it. Before, we were hopeful for something definitive on my husband to help our son, but now that our son has a good GI and nutritionist, we're less concerned for that reason. But, the high Vitamin D seems very strange.

Thank you!

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mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

Your doctor must be just emerging from his caveman cave with his club, to call the DGP "experimental" :blink: It has quickly become one of the most specific tests for celiac. The old Gliadin AB's are often not even run any more. He needs to get out from under his rock a little more. From what I recall, if the tTG is normal, then the EMA is unlikely to render any positive results -- in fact I believe it is only run if the tTG is positive.

The low ferritin and B12, along with RBC and WBC, and high D does seem an anomaly and worth exploring.

You should really ask your doc to read the latest research on DGP (or google and give him copies of it) and run that test on your husband as that is the best chance, as I see it, of getting an accurate reading. Again, IANAMP (I am not a medical professional). :D

nicolebeth Apprentice
nicolebeth
Posted
  • Author

Your doctor must be just emerging from his caveman cave with his club, to call the DGP "experimental" :blink: It has quickly become one of the most specific tests for celiac. The old Gliadin AB's are often not even run any more. He needs to get out from under his rock a little more. From what I recall, if the tTG is normal, then the EMA is unlikely to render any positive results -- in fact I believe it is only run if the tTG is positive.

The low ferritin and B12, along with RBC and WBC, and high D does seem an anomaly and worth exploring.

You should really ask your doc to read the latest research on DGP (or google and give him copies of it) and run that test on your husband as that is the best chance, as I see it, of getting an accurate reading. Again, IANAMP (I am not a medical professional). :D

Thank you. My husband was just happy to get the tests run, finally; this doc was fairly unwilling to do anything until he actually met with him. In looking more closely at the tests, unless they haven't all come back yet, they actually did a D2 not the D3. So, if he does end up needing the other Vitamin D test, then we will have research from Google ready to show the doctor about the DGP. (My kids' doctors hadn't heard of it, but were willing to write it down and just order it. I do believe this other GI lives in a cave!)

frieze Community Regular
frieze
Posted

Thank you. My husband was just happy to get the tests run, finally; this doc was fairly unwilling to do anything until he actually met with him. In looking more closely at the tests, unless they haven't all come back yet, they actually did a D2 not the D3. So, if he does end up needing the other Vitamin D test, then we will have research from Google ready to show the doctor about the DGP. (My kids' doctors hadn't heard of it, but were willing to write it down and just order it. I do believe this other GI lives in a cave!)

Does your husband take a Vitamin D supplement? You do need the total. D2 and D3
GottaSki Mentor
GottaSki
Posted

Your doctor must be just emerging from his caveman cave with his club, to call the DGP "experimental" :blink:

....

Again, IANAMP (I am not a medical professional). :D

Could not be said any better :)

Good Luck to you and your husband Nicolebeth!

nicolebeth Apprentice
nicolebeth
Posted
  • Author

Does your husband take a Vitamin D supplement? You do need the total. D2 and D3

He doesn't take Vitamin D; I've bothered him about that in the past, especially during the winter. He will call in today if there's no D3 result--perhaps it's just taking longer.

nicolebeth Apprentice
nicolebeth
Posted
  • Author

Could not be said any better :)

Good Luck to you and your husband Nicolebeth!

Thank you!

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