I Didn't Eat Gluten For 2 Days Before Test - Is That A Problem?

[QP1]

My GP recommended that I go on a gluten- and dairy-free diet, and also sent me to the lab for bloodwork. But she didn't mention anything about timing or sequence of lab work vs. diet. So by the time I went to the lab, I had gone two full days without any gluten. I just received the lab results, which are:

Tissue Transglutaminase Ab IgA = 5 (the "normal" is <20 Units)

Should I be concerned of a false low reading, after cutting out gluten for only 2 days? Prior to going gluten-free, I ate normal amounts for years.

Any responses are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

QP

[GottaSki]

I don't think you need worry that two days would change the results significantly.

I'd be more concerned that your doctor may not have ordered sufficient blood tests. The tTG-IgA is a celiac screening test, but not a good analysis of possible Celiac Disease if symptoms are present.

Full Celiac Blood Panel:

Total Serum IgA

Tissue Transglutaminase IgA and IgG

Endomysial Antibody IgA

Deamidated Gliadin Peptide IgA and IgG

Also, low vitamins/minerals can indicate you are not absorbing nutrients properly - another indicator of Celiac Disease. So you might want to have these drawn as well.

Misc blood tests:

Bs, D, K, Iron, Ferritin, Copper and Zinc

[SMDBill]

I have to agree with GottaSki. There is a lot of work that must be done to thoroughly test for celiac and to run one blood test is questionable at best. I just had all my work done on Tuesday and I was gluten-free for 2 months. I do not have the results back yet, but there was visible damage that helped them know better where to biopsy.

My doctor had me tested with 8 different blood tests, an endoscopy and a bone density test. It was a breeze to do it all and that will give him a baseline from which to figure out not only what all could be wrong, but also what needs fixed. He's testing for lipids, thyroid, liver enzymes, complete blood panel, ferritin, iron, vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, magnesium, potassium and others. Proteins are also being tested. He is leaving nothing untested because he wants a foundation to start from to later measure how successfully the gluten-free and other treatments are working. Without all those indicators your doctor is working blindly and one test will not really give him/her a proper picture of what your body situation is right now.

Any chance you can get a referral to a gastro for complete celiac testing? GP's may not be the best bet for finding your diagnosis and putting you on the right road to good health.

[frieze]

this may be the "algorythm" for that practice, however, it means nothing without the total IgA.